Batterer intervention programs developed in the 1970's. Prior to the influence of the women's movement of that era, the problem of domestic violence was widely ignored, such that there was no perceived need for special programs for men who assaulted their intimate partners. Profeminist men's groups provided the first batterer programs as a way of supporting the work of the women's antiviolence movement. Goals for batterer programs currently include rehabilitation, justice, and victim safety. Programs differ by their relative emphasis on each of these goals. Programs that emphasize rehabilitation focus on prosocial, nonviolent skill-building, such as the identification and management of anger and stress. Because many court-referred batterers have substance abuse problems, substance abuse screening and treatment are also integral to the rehabilitation goal. A batterer program that focuses on justice views its role as an extension of the justice system, as it addresses the batterer's accountability for his behavior. Batterer programs that emphasize victim safety are usually managed by or linked closely to battered women's agencies. Such programs often focus on victim safety checks, using a victim advocate to provide telephone follow-up and referral. In discussing the structure and function of batterer intervention programs, this chapter has sections on referral, evaluation, victim contact, orientation, groups, program completion, and maintenance. A discussion of the evaluation of the effectiveness of batterer programs notes that the controlled evaluation studies to date have all been hampered by serious methodological problems, such that conclusions about the effectiveness of batterer programs remain an open issue. In addition to questions about their effectiveness, batterer programs also face other issues, with the most important being criminal justice and mental health perspectives on domestic violence, standards for batterer programs, the link between batterer programs and other community services, and the cultural competence of batterer programs and their staff. Each of these issues is discussed in the chapter. A section on future directions for these programs focuses on new knowledge, cultural competence, responsible fatherhood, redefining roles, and public education. 56 references