Some argue that training and/or coursework in domestic violence (DV) could impact the beliefs criminal justice (CJ) majors have about DV and, in turn, affect their future job performance in cases involving victims of DV. This study examined the association of previous education and training in DV on the beliefs college students hold about what behaviors qualify as DV. Further, it examined the association between CJ versus non-CJ majors on beliefs about DV behaviors. Results indicated prior education on DV, but not training outside of coursework, was associated with differences in students' beliefs about acts of sexual aggression qualifying as DV. Education and training on DV were not significantly related to differences in beliefs about acts of physical or verbal/emotional aggression being DV. Moreover, CJ majors are less likely to believe that verbal/emotional aggression was an act of DV, compared to non-CJ majors. Implications of these findings for policy and educational efforts impacting CJ majors are discussed.

Batterers intervention programs (BIPs) have only a marginal impact on domestic violence (DV) recidivism, in part because treatment attrition is high. The current study evaluates a new BIP based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (called ACTV, Achieving Change Through Values-Based Behavior) in a sample of incarcerated DV offenders who failed to complete community-based BIP (N = 23). The current study examined participants' risk factors and assessed criminal justice outcomes in the 1 year following treatment completion. The men exhibited high levels of experiential avoidance, adverse childhood experiences, psychopathy, and attachment when compared to clinical and forensic samples from past research. Consistent with the theory underlying ACTV, experiential avoidance decreased significantly over the course of treatment. In addition, 1 out of 22 (4.5%) had a domestic assault charge in the 1-year follow-up period. Overall, the current study offers preliminary support for the use of ACTV with noncompliant, incarcerated offenders.

Johnson's typology of intimate partner violence (IPV) postulates four types: intimate terrorism (IT), situational couple violence (SCV), violent resistance (VR), and mutual violent control (MVC). Johnson asserts that IT (i.e., severe violence is part of the perpetrator's use of coercive control and power) is primarily perpetrated by men and can be solely explained by patriarchal theory and MVC is rare. These assertions are based on results from samples that included data only on women and victimization. This study tests Johnson's typology using a population-based sample of men and a sample of male IPV victims. Results showed that women were the primary perpetrators of IT, while men primarily used VR. SCV was more common in the population-based sample than in the male victims sample. MVC was just as common as IT in the population-based sample, while IT was more common than MVC in the male victims sample. We compare our results with Johnson's and discuss issues of sampling biases and the need for more complex underlying theories.

Scholarship of intimate partner abuse is heavily dominated by a gendered paradigm that has strongly impacted on the development and delivery of services and treatment programs; however it is not inclusive to all victim and perpetrator groups. The gendered viewpoint of the male abuser and female victim is critiqued by identifying gender differences in intimate partner abuse research, and the impact this has on male victims. A further critique challenges the dominant research trend that has favored working with younger victims and perpetrators, with an analysis of the impact and issues for older adults and their help-seeking. Implications for practice are discussed. The lack of support services for male victims and older adults is identified, as well as the focus of treatment practice on the male abuser. Finally, an argument to support more vulnerable groups such as older men who are absent within intimate partner abuse literature and service development is presented.

This study examined multi-level factors associated with turnover intention and job satisfaction among the intimate partner violence and sexual assault workforce. Researchers conducted a cross-sectional analysis with data from 530 respondents. Key measures included turnover intention, job satisfaction, burnout, secondary traumatic stress, compassion satisfaction, and areas of work–life fit. Regression analyses examined multi-level associations with turnover intention and job satisfaction. In the first model, lower satisfaction with supervision, higher burnout scores, lower salaries and identifying as African American were significantly associated with higher turnover intention. In the second model, workplace community and control, lower rates of secondary traumatic stress, and increased use of coping were associated with higher job satisfaction. Lower satisfaction with unpaid and paid leave predicted lower job satisfaction. Implications for practice and research are discussed.

Civil Protection Orders (CPOs) are among the most common legal tools that victims of intimate partner violence and abuse (IPV/A) use to protect themselves. The current study adds to the CPO research by using quantitative data to look at how female survivors' experiences with court personnel (attorneys, mediators, and hearing officers) shape their satisfaction with the court process, and what types of individual and court-related factors are related to perceived fairness of court personnel. The current study uses in-depth quantitative data collected from women over the age of 18 who sought a CPO due to violence from a male current or former partner. The findings indicate that women's satisfaction with the court process is significantly impacted by the perceived fairness of court personnel. In turn, specific behaviors by court personnel predict women's ratings of fairness of those personnel. Additionally, women's socioeconomic status impacts how fair they perceive the hearing officers to be. Court personnel play an integral role in helping victims navigate the legal system in ways that could protect their safety and influence how they perceive the CPO system as it relates to the abuse they have experienced.

Debate continues on the appropriate theoretical framework for understanding behavior change in abusive intimate partner relationships. The purpose of this review was to identify theories applied to relationship abuse experiences of survivors, to uncover conceptual factors that support safety behaviors, and to discuss how results can be used to inform the development of a conceptual framework for evaluation of interventions for survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). A rapid review of peer-reviewed published articles on IPV, safety behavior, and theory through two online databases (i.e., PubMed, Scopus) identified 1,604 citations; 143 articles underwent full-text data extraction, and 32 meet criteria for inclusion. Outcomes focused on safety behaviors but also included decision-making, coping strategies, stages of change, ending abuse, and leaving the relationship. The Transtheoretical Model was used most frequently. Despite variation in specification of outcomes of interest, elements that contributed to safety behaviors were similar across articles and included intrapersonal, interpersonal, and environmental factors. More work to identify the scope and relationship of conceptual factors that facilitate safety behaviors is needed. The limited published literature provides valuable insights into the range of factors, but homogeneity of samples across articles limited our ability to draw concrete conclusions regarding factors facilitating safety among diverse populations and settings.