A test of the efficacy of court-mandated counseling for domestic violence offenders: The Broward experiment

This study investigated the effectiveness of a popular batterers' intervention program in reducing repeated violence among men who were convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence. A classical experimental design randomly assigned all 404 male defendants in Broward County Courthouse into an experimental (one-year probation and court-mandated counseling) or control (one-year probation only) conditions. The study followed these men for 12 months, collecting information from offenders' self-reports, victims' reports, and official measures of rearrests. No significant differences were found between the experimental and control groups in their attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors regarding domestic violence; both groups were equally likely to engage in both minor and severe partner abuse. In addition, no significant differences were found between the two groups in their rates of rearrest. Further analyses indicated that stake-in-conformity variables (employment and age) predicted both attendance at treatment and reoffending.