Every year, thousands of men go through the IDAP and Duluth interventions for domestic violence in the UK and USA and yet their voices are seldom included in official research. The success of these programmes is usually measured in two ways, neither of which involves the participants themselves; the two indicators are whether a man is re-arrested and a partner report.
There is widespread scepticism among programme funders, facilitators and researchers about the credibility of men’s own evaluation of the quality of the programme or of their participation and progress within it. At a time when health authorities, councils and all manner of voluntary and statutory agencies have service user involvement policies to support the development and evaluation of provision, an attitude towards men’s self-reporting as invalid because it is ‘subject to perpetrator denial and minimisation’ (Mullender & Burton, 2000) seems not only unethical but also antiquated.
Men’s voices are presented in only one document that I have sourced. Bullock et al (2010) interviewed 26 men in their research yet only included two quotes from them under the heading of ‘men’s engagement and views on the programme’ (p14); three quotes from facilitators are included in this section. The men’s comments (below) about the IDAP programme, facilitators and personal development gained are uncritical and place the intervention in a positive light.
Programme and facilitators:
‘Well, it was just pretty much giving me a chance to introduce myself, anything I said they made it feel like it was valid and they would actually listen and give advice about it – really interested in knowing what you are doing outside work, outside of the course and stuff like that. They do involve themselves quite a bit, they do encourage you as much as they possibly can, I think.’ (GM6)
Personal development:
‘In general just the way I come across and deal with situations, you know, I didn’t understand, I don’t think I really realised that I was coming across in my voice and my body language quite aggressive towards my partner always. I’ve controlled that a lot more, so it’s, you know, I’m conscious of it, which means that you do tend to control it. You know, as soon as it starts happening, you can nip it in the bud, because you’re now conscious of it, you know you’re doing it.’ (GM11)
Men whom I have worked with who have experienced the IDAP programme were not complimentary about it; a contrary picture with regard to its success emerges from a meta-analysis of 22 studies in 2004 (Babcock et al) which found, depending on the type of research design employed by the various studies, suggested that effects due to treatment were in the small range, a 5% to 15% decrease in recidivism or reduction in violence between those who took part in an intervention and those who did not.
This is a scandalously low level of effectiveness which would never be tolerated within health or education services yet goes unchallenged in the domestic violence arena because treatment is based on faith in a political ideology rather than on evidence based research.
A recent Ministry of Justice report (2010) concluded
‘The evidence base for DV programmes is still inconclusive both on the international front and in the UK. There is still much to learn about what programmes are effective in reducing domestic violence’
It is time for a piece of research which prioritises the voice of men who have participated in these programmes and for a candid exploration of that experience; to find out which elements of the programme were useful and which were not; to invite them to consider their
- personal story of events
- relationship dynamics
- personal history and trauma
- mental health state
- to debrief the feminist ideology that underpins the programme
I am keen to interview men who have participated in IDAP and Duluth programmes
- face-to-face
- on Skype
- by telephone
and to publish my findings while protecting the identity of contributors. If you are interested in participating please contact Sue Parker Hall at sueparkerhall@btconnect.com Please tell any men you know who may be willing to participate about this research project.
References
Babcock, J C, Green CE & Robie C, 2004, Does batterers’ treatment work? A meta-analytic review of domestic violence treatment. Clinical Psychology Review, 23, 1023-1053
Bullock K, Sarre S, Tarling R & Wilkinson M, 2010, The delivery of domestic abuse programmes,
An implementation study of the delivery of domestic abuse programmes in probation areas and Her Majesty’s Prison Service, Ministry of Justice Research Series 15/10 July, London, Home Office
Mullender A & Burton S, 2000, Policing and Reducing Crime Briefing Note, Reducing domestic violence….What Works? Perpetrator programmes, Crime Reduction Research Series, Home Office, London
Ministry of Justice, 2010, What works with Domestic Offenders, National Offender Management Service, London, Home Office
