1. Only court-ordered men will be registered in a NY Model batterer program.
Accepting self-referrals would only undermine the purpose of the NY Model. Men who are self-referred (voluntaries, situation, family-referred, etc.) sign up for batterer programs with good intentions. If, however, batterer programs don’t work – why allow this? If these same men are invested in real change, we would encourage communities to make sure there are programs, courses, groups, etc. where it would be appropriate for them to go. We would also strongly urge that such forums be called anything other than the misleading name, batterer programs.

In NY Model batterer programs, when participants fulfill their required number of sessions, their names are removed from the roster and they may not continue to attend.

2. A court order must be for a minimum of 26 sessions.
To reflect the seriousness of domestic violence offenses and the appropriate severity of this sanction, orders to NY Model batterer programs are not to be less than 26 sessions. An additional key element is that the participants are only allowed to attend one session per week. As to duration of sessions, they are best to be time certain and no less than 75 minutes.

3. There must be a court imposed consequence for non-compliance.
All too often, orders to attend a batterer program have been ‘throw-away’ orders, in that those who did not comply would simply ‘fall through the cracks.’ In essence, this has created a mockery of the criminal justice system, with regard to the punishment and monitoring of most domestic violence offenses. Imposing no consequence for non-compliance has led to derision of the court response and of the entire system – from victims, advocates, community members and abusers, alike.

What’s more, when there has been no court-imposed consequence, the victims of domestic crimes are left with a sense of abandonment by the very criminal justice system that is in place to penalize offenders for those crimes. Accepting only those participants for whom there will be a consequence for non-compliance will redress this problem.

4. An order to attend is not appropriate as a diversion from a more serious consequence.
NY Model batterer programs urge the court to only use an order to attend if, based on the seriousness of the crime, it is the most serious penalty possible. Perhaps there are some crimes where a warning or other lenient response may be appropriate. This is never the case with domestic abuse. Some reasons include:

5. NY Model programs only operate in relationship to the battered women’s movement and in support of their local domestic violence coalition.
Batterer programs should only be developed in relationship to the battered women’s program/s within their community. Batterer programs that do not do this undermine the leadership that battered women’s programs should have in the community. Even worse, such programs significantly increase the danger to individual battered women.

6. The courts hold men accountable for crimes against their female intimate partners. NY Model programs do not. They do hold men accountable to comply with their court order to attend.
NY Model programs have clearly articulated attainable, doable policies, procedures and practices…with specific, reasonable, clear absence policies. All participants are held to the same standards.

Note: It is critical to clarify that we cannot (1) compel men to stop abusing their partner or (2) know if men are abusing their partner. Therefore, we cannot hold participants accountable for ongoing acts of abuse.

Many programs have been lulled into believing that a participant’s good behavior while in a program translates into good behavior at home. This is a dangerous and false impression. Not only have "star" program participants been arrested for domestic violence crimes, but so have exemplary program staff.

7. Once policies and procedures are established, it is imperative that participants are held to them in a routine, fair and just manner.
Remembering the overall purpose of the program helps to maintain this standard. In the largest sense, a NY Model batterer program signals that our courts and our communities take domestic violence crimes and offenses seriously. If the court deems it appropriate, not only must a defendant attend the program, he must fully comply with the programs policies.

It is then incumbent on the program to do the same. For example, if there is a policy that no participant can be late for class, then late equals absent for everyone, all the time. No excuse is acceptable. If this or any rule feels unjust, then change it – for everyone.

Perhaps for the first time, participants are being held accountable – in this instance, for compliance with program policies.

8. NY Model batterer programs must be dedicated to meticulous reporting to courts1 concerning participant adherence to attendance and other program policies.
We take seriously that the lives of referred persons are entrusted to us. We realize the enormity of this responsibility and, therefore, devote much time, money and staff energy to running these programs. If a NY Model batterer program is to open, its staff members must be prepared for a major commitment to meticulous reporting procedures.

9. NY Model batterer programs do not make contact with partners of men who are ordered to attend.
Battered women are best served by advocates and organizations that are expert on issues related to domestic violence. If partners of men in the program contact us, we urge them to contact the battered women’s program in their community and will assist them in making that contact.

10. NY Model batterer programs do not punish participants.
NY Model programs are grounded in a practice of respectful interaction with all participants at all times. This particular requirement has been fundamental from the earliest rendition (late 1970’s) of our model. If there is to be punishment levied for an act of domestic violence, that should appropriately come from the courts, the family or the community, never from the staff of a NY Model batterer program.

To help maintain this very important focus, we remember that the participants are the men in our community and in our families – little or no different from our brothers, fathers, husbands, boyfriends and sons.

When the courts levy a sanction for domestic violence, the purpose is to impose punishment for the offense committed. It is also the court’s responsibility to ensure compliance with that order.

A further demonstration of a NY Model program’s respect for those who are ordered is evidenced by our curriculum. We do not believe participants are a subset of men, deficient in material, skills or information that other men have. The opposite is true. We present the same material and information to NY Model program participants as we do to audiences in our national training institutes.

11. NY Model batterer programs evolve and change as new information and experience becomes apparent.
The earliest batterer programs were developed in the mid 1970’s in the United States. Since then, a vast amount of experience, anecdotal information and research has continuously offered new insights about these programs.

The NY Model “architects” have always been willing to update and improve all aspects of the model. Commitment to change takes precedence over the difficulties in doing so. This must continue to be true for NY Model batterer programs.


1 Courts or agent of the courts (Probation, Social Service Caseworkers, Parole, etc.)