Jeffrey A. Bouffard

An Exploratory Study of Women Arrested for Intimate Partner Violence Violent Women or Violent Resistance

With the advent of mandatory and pro-arrest laws for incidents of intimate partner violence, there has been an increase in the number of women arrested for domestic violence. Several explanations are posed in the literature that attempt to explain such a rise, including the hypothesis that women are being arrested not for offensive violence but rather for defensive violence. Few studies, however, have used empirical data to support such arguments. This exploratory study examines the characteristics of women arrested for intimate personal violence. Particular attention is paid to women arrested with their partner (i.e., dual arrestees) and the contextual characteristics of dual arrestee incidents. Important differences are uncovered in the context and consequences of arrest for dual arrestees (n = 21) compared to women arrested alone as the offender (n = 49). Implications of these findings and further research directions are discussed.

Reentry Works: The Implementation and Effectiveness of a Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative

Abstract Spurred by large increases in prison populations and other recent sentencing and correctional trends, the federal government has supported the development and implementation of Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiatives (SVORI) nationwide. While existing research demonstrates the effectiveness of the separate components of these programs (e.g., matching services to inmate needs, combining community supervision and rehabilitative services), few if any evaluations of the effectiveness of these new coordinated reentry interventions have yet been published. The current study examines the implementation and effectiveness of a small SVORI program in the upper-Midwest, comparing inmates receiving enhanced reentry services to a sample of similar prisoners receiving only traditional prison/parole services. Results reveal that the reentry program successfully reached its target population of serious and violent offenders, provided more referrals to community-based services, and increased drug testing frequency during parole. Reentry participants were also less likely to test positive for drug use while on parole, had similar parole revocation rates and a 60% lower likelihood of post-parole rearrest relative to the comparison sample. Limitations of the study, as well as implication for reentry programming and future research are discussed.

The Effectiveness of Drug Court Programming for Specific Kinds of Offenders: Methamphetamine and DWI Offenders Versus Other Drug-Involved Offenders

Numerous evaluations have documented that drug court programs can and do work (Belenko, 1998, 1999, 2001; Gottfredson, Najaka, & Kearly, 2003); however, to date, less attention has been paid to specific issues such as how well drug courts work for certain types of offenders. In particular, there has been a lack of attention paid to the personal characteristics that may be thought of as “risk factors” among participants, especially their drug of choice. Of particular interest in this study are the following questions: First, are drug courts equally effective for offenders charged with methamphetamine-related crimes versus other types of drug offenders? Second, is the drug court model equally effective for offenders charged with Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) compared to other types of drug-involved offenders? Data from a hybrid drug court operating in a small urban area in the upper Midwest was used to examine the above questions. Information on 87 individuals who had participated in this drug court program and 124 similar offenders who were sentenced to prison followed by traditional parole were analyzed. Results indicated that the drug court reduced recidivism for methamphetamine-involved and other types of drug-using offenders; however, among DWI offenders, drug court graduation was not related to reduced recidivism, as it was among non-DWI offenders. Implications for drug court programming and future research are discussed.

Gender Differences in Specialization in Intimate Partner Violence: Comparing the Gender Symmetry and Violent Resistance Perspectives

Research on male domestic violence offenders has typically considered them to be highly specialized offenders, and specialized theories and policies have been developed to address this type of offending. Some scholars have suggested that intimate partner violence is not as specialized as has been previously assumed. Especially in terms of gender differences, intimate partner violence research and theory suggest some variability in the level of specialization apparent for offenders. The current study uses the gender symmetry and violent resistance perspectives of women’s use of intimate partner violence to examine gender differences in specialization among a sample of intimate partner violence arrestees. Analyses employed multivariate models estimating the diversity index as a measure of specialization in general and multilevel item response theory to assess specialization in intimate partner violence specifically. Results indicate that female arrestees demonstrate significantly greater levels specialization as compared to male arrestees, providing support for the violent resistance perspective. Implications of these results and directions for future research are discussed.

An Examination of the Outcomes of Various Components of a Coordinated Community Response to Domestic Violence by Male Offenders

With recognition that police intervention by itself is not entirely effective, in recent years there has been a shift in public policies towards the implementation of a coordinated community response to domestic violence incidents. This article examines the impact of participation in several aspects of a coordinated community response (CCR) in a mid-sized city in the Midwest. Specifically, recidivism was examined using information on officially recorded re-arrests for 131 male domestic violence offenders involved in a CCR type intervention. In addition, exploratory analyses attempt to determine if certain offender characteristics are related to their likely of progressing through each of several post-conviction components of this CCR-type intervention. Limitations of the research and suggestions for policy responses to domestic violence are discussed.

An Exploratory Analysis of Victim Precipitation Among Men and Women Arrested for Intimate Partner Violence

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a complex social problem that has produced a wide variety of explanations. However, few studies have explored what, if any, role victim precipitation plays in IPV. Victim precipitation is generally defined as behavior by the victim that initiates the subsequent behavior of the victimizer; however, studies using this concept have often been accused of subtle and overt victim blaming. Distinguishing victim precipitation from victim blaming, this study explores the utility of victim precipitation in understanding contextual differences in mens and womens use of violence in intimate relationships and police use of dual arrest in IPV incidents. Results suggest that victim precipitation plays an important role in understanding incidents of IPV, especially in cases involving dual arrest.

Program Completion and Recidivism Outcomes Among Adult Offenders Ordered to Complete a Community Service Sentence

Abstract Relatively little research has examined the outcomes (either program completion or recidivism) of community service (CS) sentences among adult offenders in the United States, despite the fact that this form of alternative sanction has been employed in the United States for nearly 40 years. What little research exists, primarily from Europe, suggests that community service may not yield significant reductions in recidivism. Increased use of community service in this country is suggested to have several potential benefits including the alleviation of jail crowding, reduction of correctional costs, as well as provision of credible intermediate punishment. Reductions in crowding and associated costs depend, however, on CS being utilized with incarceration-bound offenders and also that these offenders be managed under this community-based sanction without risk to public safety. This study finds that several characteristics indicative of more “serious” offenders (e.g., criminal history and other personal characteristics) are related to lower likelihood of program completion. Initial evidence also suggests that among those receiving this type of sentence, program completion reduces recidivism risk, controlling for the underlying propensity to complete the sentence. Limitations of the design and suggestions for future research are also discussed.