What are the Impacts of a Trauma-Informed Abusive Partner Intervention Program on Attitudes, Beliefs, and Recidivism?
By Neal Palmer, Research Project Director
Findings from an outcome evaluation of the Trauma-Informed Abusive Partner Intervention Program (TI-APIP) demonstrate potential benefits for attitudes and beliefs, as well as for recidivism after engaging in the program.
Domestic violence is an endemic public health crisis in the United States. For decades, policymakers, advocates, survivors, law enforcement, researchers, and others have struggled to support survivors, hold abusers accountable, and address the root causes of abusive behavior. Ending these cycles is especially important when survivors want or must continue to see or have shared responsibilities with their abusive partner.
For decades, many programs have focused on giving survivors resources and tools to rebuild their lives after abuse. In the 1970s, another approach emerged: abusive partner intervention programs (APIPs), which sought to hold abusive partners more accountable by educating them and teaching them skills for nonviolence. In 2019, the Criminal Justice Investment Initiative (CJII) launched the Trauma-Informed Abusive Partner Intervention Program (TI-APIP) to offer to individuals charged with an intimate partner violence (IPV)-related crime. The Urban Resource Institute (URI) implemented the program, incorporating trauma-informed approaches that consider participants’ trauma histories, needs, and experiences. Participants referred to the program by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office completed weekly two-hour program sessions for 26 weeks.
Also though CJII—a partnership between the Manhattan DA and CUNY ISLG to reduce crime and strengthen Manhattan communities—the Urban Institute conducted an implementation evaluation and, more recently, published an outcome evaluation of the program.
After adjusting for compositional differences between participants and a comparison group of non-participants, the outcome evaluation assessed the impact of participation on rearrest and reconviction. It also assessed changes in participants’ beliefs and attitudes regarding IPV.
Key findings of the evaluation report include:
Many Participants had Witnessed Trauma or been a Survivor of Crime Themselves
Between June 2019 and October 2022, the program enrolled 124 participants, with 104 completing the program. A critical component of TI-APIP is how it “centers a unique trauma-informed approach that helps boil down the complexities inherent in relationships with violence.” As the 2022 implementation report describes, ”By working to identify and treat trauma symptoms in addition to educating about healthy relationships, the TI-APIP aims to create an environment in which participants can deeply reckon with and begin to change the underlying beliefs and attitudes that lead to their abusive behavior.”
TI-APIP aims to create an environment in which participants can deeply reckon with and begin to change the underlying beliefs and attitudes that lead to their abusive behavior.
In a survey of TI-APIP participants, Urban researchers found that 55 percent “reported witnessing a traumatic event, such as a shooting or violent assault, in their community during their lifetime.” Twenty-nine percent “reported being a victim of physical violence from a parent or guardian in their lifetime,” 21 percent “reported being a victim of sexual abuse in their lifetime,” and 34.5 percent ‘reported being a victim of violence from a romantic partner in their lifetime.”
Healthier Views on Gender and Intimate Partner Violence
Participants completed an exit survey designed to assess their attitudes and knowledge about IPV after engaging in the program. The vast majority of participants held attitudes toward IPV that demonstrated high understanding of IPV, its prevalence, and causes.
Speaking to participants in focus groups, Urban found participants had positive experiences with staff and expressed appreciation for having a space for them to talk and find support through topics that included conflict resolution, anger management, self-accountability, identifying controlling behaviors, and self-improvement.
As one participant said, “Discussing situations and getting other people’s opinions and inputs can kind of help you make better decisions.”
Reduced Risk of Recidivism
Participation in the TI-APIP was associated with a meaningful reduction in the probability of rearrest and reconviction following release. Specifically, participants were less likely to be arrested in the 12 months after program engagement relative to the comparison group. Moreover, they were also less likely to be convicted of a felony or violent crime during the same period.
Participants were less likely to be arrested in the 12 months after program engagement relative to the comparison group. Moreover, they were also less likely to be convicted of a felony or violent crime during the same period.
For more on the impacts of the TI-APIP program, see the full report: Evaluating the Trauma-Informed Abusive Partner Intervention Program.
About the Criminal Justice Investment Initiative
Under former Manhattan District Attorney Cy R. Vance, Jr., the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office created the Criminal Justice Investment Initiative (CJII) in order to use $250 million seized in international financial crime prosecutions to invest in transformative projects that will improve public safety, prevent crime, and promote a fair and efficient justice system. CJII is a first-of-its-kind effort to support innovative community projects that fill critical gaps and needs in New York City’s criminal legal system infrastructure.
CJII focuses on three investment areas—crime prevention, diversion and reentry, and supports for survivors of crime. The CUNY Institute for State & Local Governance manages and provides technical assistance to CJII contractors, and conducts oversight and performance measurement throughout the lifetime of the initiative.
Photo by Drazen on Adobe Stock.