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Recidivism among spousal abusers: predictions and program evaluation.
Bryan Hendricks1, Todd Werner, Lee Shipway
1Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI 53706, USA. blhendricks@wisc.edu
Journal of Interpersonal Violence
|May 5, 2006
Summary
Completing the SAFE (Spousal Abuse Facilitation Education) program significantly reduced recidivism rates for court-referred spousal abusers. Even high-risk offenders benefited from additional cognitive restructuring, showing lower failure rates post-treatment.
Area of Science:
- Criminology
- Psychology
- Social Work
Background:
- Spousal abuse is a significant societal issue requiring effective intervention strategies.
- Court-referred offenders often have high recidivism rates, necessitating evidence-based treatment programs.
- Understanding the effectiveness of different therapeutic approaches is crucial for reducing domestic violence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the relative effectiveness of two interventions for court-referred spousal abusers.
- To compare recidivism rates between program completers and non-completers.
- To explore the predictive accuracy of the LSI-R score for recidivism.
Main Methods:
- The study involved 200 court-referred spousal abusers.
- Interventions included a 14-week group treatment (SAFE) and cognitive restructuring (R&R).
- Recidivism was tracked, and LSI-R scores were used for prediction analysis.
Main Results:
- Overall failure rate was 17.5%, with most recidivism in the first 6 months.
- SAFE completers had significantly lower recidivism (10.6%) than non-completers (38.8%).
- High-risk clients completing both SAFE and R&R had a 23.5% recidivism rate; LSI-R predicted outcomes with 66% accuracy.
Conclusions:
- The SAFE program is effective in reducing recidivism among spousal abusers.
- A combination of treatments may benefit high-risk offenders.
- Further research into predictors of recidivism is warranted.