Correlates and program completion of family only and generally violent perpetrators of intimate partner violence

The present study examined correlates and program completion rates of Family only violent (FO) versus Generally violent (GV) male perpetrators of intimate partner violence mandated to batterer intervention programs. Probation records of 456 men sentenced to probation in Lake County, Illinois between 2006 and 2008 were examined, and the men were categorized as FO (n= 269) or GV (n= 187) by graduate student raters. GV men were younger, had more extensive criminal histories, greater substance use, and greater demographic risk factors related to education and employment. GV men were less likely to complete a mandated partner abuse intervention program and were deemed by probation officers to be at higher risk to reoffend as compared to FO men, even after controlling for racial differences. These findings highlight the utility of a reliable, easy to administer dichotomous categorization system for probation officers to use to differentiate between FO vs. GV men that had differential correlates and was associated with differential program completion rates. Implications for treatment of partner violent men are discussed.