Archive for Washington State Center For Court Research

2012 Domestic Violence Perpetrator Treatment Recidivism Study

In late April 2012 Dr. Tom George who works for the Washington State AOC as a researcher completed a study on recidivism rates and Domestic Violence Perpetrator Treatment (DVPT). His study had a large pool to work from, he had seemingly unlimited access to the AOC JIS and/or SCOMIS databases and likely the WSP database as well. All in all not a bad study.

TomGeorge (2012) DV Sentencing Conditions Recidivism_FINAL_042412

Dr. George concludes that after completing Domestic Violence Perpetrator Treatment, the average participant has a higher risk of committing a future act of Domestic Violence than a person who was NOT subjected to 12 months of DVPT Psychotherapy. I spoke to a world renowned expert on Domestic Violence shortly after this report was uncovered asking his opinion, his response “this is nothing new, we (DV Industry) know this already and have for years, the fundamental way society has addressed DV treatment is flawed…”

Interesting background as to how this report came to be, the Washington State Office of Financial Management applied for a Federal grant to study DVPT recidivism, oddly enough money from the Feds came through but the OFM had no means to carry out such a study (one could question why they applied for funding when A: OFM staff could not carry out the study B: Office of Financial Management seems a little removed from DV Perpetrator Treatment recidivism and efficacy rates) so after taking a Agency Administrative cut of the VAWA Gravy money they shipped it off to the Washington Courts for completion of the study, not to question every decision made here but why did Department of Health not get this study?, Dr. Tomas George was assigned the task.

In all fairness the study went to a Supreme Court created arm of the AOC, the Washington State Center for Court Research , fancy name but all of them are on AOC payroll and all serve at the pleasure of Chief Justice Barbara Madsen.

I would like to mention that as of December 2012 this study no longer appears at the WASCCR website of publications.