By:  Shapiro                                           S.C.R. No. 5
                             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  for services for their abusive partners; their experience had shown
   1-13  them that law enforcement and criminal justice intervention might
   1-14  briefly end acts of violence but did not cause their partners to
   1-15  change their abusive behavior; and
   1-16        WHEREAS, Counselors who specialize in domestic violence
   1-17  intervention and prevention believe that battering is primarily a
   1-18  learned behavior and that the counselor must help the perpetrator
   1-19  unlearn and change the battering behavior or the cycle of violence
   1-20  will continue; and
   1-21        WHEREAS, Studies of group programs for violent men ordered
   1-22  into treatment show recidivism rates as low as four percent; other
   1-23  studies found that between two-thirds and three-fourths of men who
    2-1  completed voluntary programs remained nonviolent; now, therefore,
    2-2  be it
    2-3        RESOLVED, That the 74th Legislature of the State of Texas
    2-4  hereby request and encourage local counseling services to develop
    2-5  battering intervention and protection programs in response to the
    2-6  studies documenting the success of such programs; and, be it
    2-7  further
    2-8        RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be prepared and
    2-9  forwarded to the community justice assistance division of the Texas
   2-10  Department of Criminal Justice.