Over 2,500 Batterer Intervention Programs (BIPs) now serve millions of domestic violence (DV) offenders each year. While BIPs aim to reduce DV, empirical studies show weak outcomes and high attrition rates. Restorative justice (RJ) provides promising results in other areas of crime prevention and reduction. A Utah-based study employed a randomized controlled design to assess both recidivism and harm reduction over a 24-month period, comparing a BIP-only intervention (standard treatment) and a BIP plus RJ program (hybrid treatment). The findings show that the hybrid treatment program results in significant reductions in new arrests (53%) and severity (52%). We conclude that a hybrid BIP plus RJ program is more effective than a BIP-only approach. At the very least, we show that RJ is a viable alternative treatment option for DV crimes, challenging the assumption that RJ and more specifically, victim participation in treatment, should be forbidden.
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