By: Shapiro, Moncrief S.C.R. No. 5
West, Zaffirini
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
1-1 WHEREAS, In 1989 the 71st Legislature established the
1-2 Battering Intervention and Prevention Program project as part of
1-3 the community justice assistance division of the Texas Department
1-4 of Criminal Justice; the Battering Intervention and Prevention
1-5 Program project was Texas' first direct involvement in domestic
1-6 violence prevention through specialized programs to rehabilitate
1-7 perpetrators, and the project is a vital supplement to law
1-8 enforcement and the criminal justice system in responding to
1-9 domestic violence; and
1-10 WHEREAS, The development of specialized counseling and
1-11 rehabilitation for batterers was in response to victims' requests
1-12 to the Texas Council on Family Violence for services for their
1-13 abusive partners; their experience has shown them that law
1-14 enforcement and criminal justice intervention might briefly end
1-15 acts of violence but did not cause their partners to change their
1-16 abusive behavior; and
1-17 WHEREAS, Judges and other referral sources are often required
1-18 to refer batterers to treatment without any knowledge of the
1-19 providers' training or knowledge of domestic violence; and
1-20 WHEREAS, Professionals and others who specialize in domestic
1-21 violence intervention and prevention believe that battering is
1-22 primarily a learned behavior and that Texas must provide trained
1-23 persons to help the perpetrator unlearn and change the battering
2-1 behavior or the emotionally and fiscally draining cycle of violence
2-2 will continue; and
2-3 WHEREAS, Historically, battered women have been placed in
2-4 jeopardy due to referrals for batterers intervention being sent to
2-5 individuals with little or no training in the dynamics of domestic
2-6 violence or the necessary accountability and assurances of the
2-7 victims' safety; and
2-8 WHEREAS, Outcome studies have shown that batterers
2-9 intervention programs do help men develop better communication
2-10 skills, learn to abate anger, learn conflict resolution skills,
2-11 gain respect, and reduce animosity toward women after having
2-12 received batterers intervention treatment; and
2-13 WHEREAS, National experts in the field, such as Edleson,
2-14 Hart, Gondolf, Pence, and Paymer, have concluded that successful
2-15 batterers treatment programs have a strong accountability and
2-16 connection to their local battered women's program; and
2-17 WHEREAS, The community justice assistance division and the
2-18 Texas Council on Family Violence have developed standards aimed at
2-19 improving treatment within the battering intervention and
2-20 prevention programs throughout the State of Texas with the
2-21 objective of increasing victim safety and stopping violent
2-22 behavior; and
2-23 WHEREAS, Section 5, Article 42.141, Code of Criminal
2-24 Procedure, establishes that battering intervention and prevention
2-25 programs can only be state-funded in counties where a battered
3-1 women's shelter or services exists, and while there are 62 shelters
3-2 there are currently only 20 batterers intervention and prevention
3-3 programs; and
3-4 WHEREAS, In fiscal year 1994, 20 state-funded battering
3-5 intervention and prevention programs provided intervention and
3-6 rehabilitation services to 4,735 batterers; now, therefore, be it
3-7 RESOLVED, That the 74th Legislature request and encourage
3-8 local counselors and professionals to obtain training and to
3-9 affiliate themselves as volunteers and counselors with already
3-10 established battered women's centers and battering intervention
3-11 programs to develop additional battering intervention and
3-12 prevention programs and services which meet the state standards;
3-13 and, be it further
3-14 RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be prepared and
3-15 forwarded to the community justice assistance division of the Texas
3-16 Department of Criminal Justice to be dispersed to the community
3-17 service agencies.