Domestic Violence Offender Treatment and Multidisciplinary Treatment Teams: The Role of “Treatment” Victim Advocates

• Published date: 01 March 2018
• Author: Angela R. Gover,Tara N. Richards
• DOI: 10.1177/0306624X16663890
• Date: 01 March 2018
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X16663890

International Journal of

Offender Therapy and

Comparative Criminology

2018, Vol. 62(4) 851 –867

© The Author(s) 2016

Reprints and permissions:

sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav

DOI: 10.1177/0306624X16663890

journals.sagepub.com/home/ijo

Article

Domestic Violence

Offender Treatment

and Multidisciplinary

Treatment Teams: The

Role of “Treatment” Victim

Advocates

Tara N. Richards1 and Angela R. Gover2

Abstract

In Colorado, “treatment victim advocates” (TVAs) serve alongside providers and

probation/parole officers on “multidisciplinary treatment teams” (MTTs) to oversee

domestic violence offender’s treatment. Although this model provides an opportunity

for victim safety concerns to be heard, the utility of using victim advocates as advisors

regarding interventions for domestic violence offenders has yet to be studied. Using

survey data and narrative responses from TVAs (N = 37), the current study examines

the challenges and opportunities TVAs face while serving on MTTs. Results suggest

that, overall, TVAs are successful in communicating with other members of the MTT,

are confident that their perspectives are valued in the offender decision-making

process, and are able to provide a wide variety of services and referrals to the victims

with whom they are engaged. Implications and recommendations for the Colorado

model as well as correctional professionals managing domestic violence offenders

internationally are presented and discussed.

Keywords

intimate partner violence, domestic violence treatment, victim safety

1University of Baltimore, MD, USA

2University of Colorado Denver, USA

Corresponding Author:

Tara N. Richards, School of Criminal Justice, University of Baltimore, 1420 North Charles Street, LAP

519, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.

Email: trichards@ubalt.edu

663890IJOXXX10.1177/0306624X16663890International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative CriminologyRichards and Gover

research-article2016

852 International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology 62(4)

Victim advocacy organizations have been at the forefront of the evolution of domestic

violence (DV) from a “private family matter” to an “important social problem” worthy

of organizational and institutional support. In this vein, the concept of victim advocacy

has included two distinct avenues aimed at reducing DV and improving responses to

victims. The first avenue focuses on providing direct services to victims. Examples of

direct services include education, safety planning, and court advocacy, all of which

serve to empower victims to make informed decisions for themselves and their fami-

lies. The second avenue relates to affecting larger criminal justice system responses to

DV such as working to change state or federal legislation, conducting trainings with

criminal justice system personnel, and serving as liaisons between victims and crimi-

nal justice system actors.

In 2010, with the institution of the Revised Standards for Domestic Violence

Offender Treatment (referred to hereafter as Standards), Colorado’s Domestic Violence

Offender Management Board (DVOMB) drew on both avenues in developing a dual

role for DV “treatment” victim advocates (referred to hereafter as TVAs) across the

state. TVAs not only provide direct support services for victims but, as mandated by

the Standards, also serve as equal representatives with treatment providers and proba-

tion/parole officers on multidisciplinary treatment teams (MTTs) that monitor DV

offenders. As a result, TVAs in Colorado have the opportunity to encourage the con-

sideration of victim safety concerns among the traditional targets of DV offender treat-

ment such as cognitive/behavioral change and offender containment.

Among the guiding principles set forth by the DVOMB in 2010 is the idea that “the

process by which domestic violence offenders are assessed, treated, and managed by

the criminal justice system and social services systems should be coordinated and

improved” (p. 3.1). Although the exact nature of Colorado’s coordination and improve-

ment is novel, “coordinated community responses” to DV, consisting of interagency

partnerships between criminal justice actors and community-based organizations more

generally, have proliferated across the country (Bouffard & Muftić, 2007).

Given the often clandestine nature of DV, TVAs may provide insights that increase

victim and community safety that could not be identified by other sources. At the same

time, there may be inherent power differentials between treatment providers, probation

officers, and TVAs, and issues of victim confidentiality may affect victim advocates’

ability to be an effective part of the MTT (Gover, Richards, & Tomsich, 2015). The pres-

ent research examines TVAs’ experiences on MTTs as well as the challenges and oppor-

tunities they face in contributing to the team decision-making process for DV offenders

as they complete their court-mandated DV treatment. The current study provides impor-

tant information regarding how a novel multidisciplinary model—drawing perspectives

from treatment, containment, and victim safety—“works” in practice and recommenda-

tions for improvement and/or proliferation of current practices are offered.

Victim Advocates and Domestic Violence

Victim advocates working at community agencies provide a range of direct services to

victims of DV such as crisis hotlines, individual and group counseling, emergency