Changes in law enforcement responses to domestic violence have had the unintended consequence of increasing the number of women arrested and mandated to batterer treatment programs. While most research suggests that males are the primary aggressor in domestic violence cases and that women typically employ violence in self-defense, scant research has addressed women’s interpretations of their violent experiences. The current study observed 95 women who were taking part in a mandated Female Offender’s Program as a condition of probation resulting from their domestic violence arrest. Observations of group sessions focused on women’s experiences of domestic violence, including experiences of the criminal justice response. Interview transcripts were coded using the grounded theory method. Results of the qualitative analysis indicated support for previous research findings showing that women typically used violence in self-defense; the women in this study who were arrested for domestic violence used violence to escape or stop the abuse that had been repeatedly leveled against them by their male partners. The findings raise serious questions about the efficacy of the current criminal justice response to domestic violence that involves the arrest of victimized women. Indeed, the authors caution against the over-reliance on the criminal justice system as a sole strategy to prevent domestic violence. Notes, references