Citation

Eadie T, Knight C. Howard J. Crim. Just. 2002; 41(2): 167-181.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2002, Howard League for Penal Reform, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/1468-2311.00233

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

After years of ignoring the problem of domestic violence, criminal justice agencies are now becoming more actively involved in the issue. In the National Probation Service (NPS) this is taking the form of running groupwork programmes for men convicted of offences against women partners or ex-partners. While the 1990s saw the development of practitioner-led programmes linked to local multi-agency initiatives, the service is now looking to incorporate domestic violence into its national strategy of Pathfinder Crime Reduction Programmes. This article reviews these developments and, drawing on a study of two local initiatives working with male perpetrators in the Midlands, highlights tensions around values, resourcing, and issues of power and control in the centralising of this particular area of offending behaviour work. It underlines the importance of open and ongoing dialogue between agencies working primarily with perpetrators or victims of domestic violence in order to ensure that women's safety is not compromised and concludes that the Home Office Probation Unit responsible for accrediting programmes faces a difficult task in relation to those addressing domestic violence.