Batterer's Intervention
Batterers Intervention
The Chattanooga Family Justice Alliance has programs that not only protect victims, but also directly address the perpetrater.
One program is the AILS: Abuse Intervention with Life Skills.Major Goals of the AILS program include the following: to stop abuse; to learn alternative appropriate behaviors; examine beliefs and behaviors that support domestic violence; expand definitions of violence and controlling behaviors; explore the effects of violence on others. click to read more
Another program is the Certified Batterer's Intervention Program
There are many differences between the Certified Batterer's Intervention program and Anger Management Programs we hear most often. Here are some of the differences:
Anger Management | Certified Batterer Intervention | |
| Are programs state certified? | No | Yes, Certification is granted by the Tennessee Domestic Violence State Coordination Council, which is administered by the Tennessee Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. |
| Who is served by the programs? | Perpetrators of stranger or non-intimate violence. | Specifically designed to work with domestic violence offenders. |
| How long are the programs? | Usually 6-20 sessions, with an average program lasting 10 sessions. | At a minimum, 24 sessions, with most being 26-52 sessions. |
| Do programs contact victims? | No | Yes. If the offender makes threats toward the victim, the program will contact the victim and the proper authorities. The program will inform the victim of the status of the offender's classes and provide her with referrals to a local victims program. |
| Are the programs monitored by a state agency? | No | Yes. By the Tennessee Domestic Violence State Coordinating Council. |
| Are programs linked with a battered women's agency? | No | Yes. Each certified program must have a letter of support from a battered women's agency and demonstrate a working relationship with a local coordinated community response to domestic violence. |
| Do programs asses batterers for lethality? | No | Yes. While not a perfect prediction model, certified programs at the very least ask questions which reveal how potentially lethal a batterer may be - such as if he owns a gun or has been convicted of other violent offenses. |
| What is the emphasis of the intervention? | Violence is seen as a momentary outburst of anger. Perpetrators are taught to use techniques like "time outs". | Physical violence is seen as one of the many forms of abusive behaviors chosen by batterers to control their intimate partners, including physical, sexual, verbal, emotional, and economic abuse. Batterer intervention models hold batterers accountable for the violent and abusive choices they make. They teach batterers to recognize how their abuse affects their partners and children and to practice alternatives to abusive behaviors. |
| Are group facilitators trained about domestic violence? | Subject to agency discretion. | Yes. State standards specify that facilitators must receive an initial 40 hours of training an then 8 hours of training each year after. |
| How would I address grievances with this type of program? | Talk to the director of the program |
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