1-1  By:  Shapiro                                           S.C.R. No. 5
    1-2        (In the Senate - Filed December 12, 1994; January 10, 1995,
    1-3  read first time and referred to Committee on Criminal Justice;
    1-4  January 31, 1995, reported adversely, with favorable Committee
    1-5  Substitute by the following vote:  Yeas 6, Nays 0;
    1-6  January 31, 1995, sent to printer.)
    1-7  COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.C.R. No. 5                  By:  Shapiro
    1-8                     SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
    1-9        WHEREAS, In 1989 the 71st Legislature established the
   1-10  Battering Intervention and Prevention Program project as part of
   1-11  the community justice assistance division of the Texas Department
   1-12  of Criminal Justice; the Battering Intervention and Prevention
   1-13  Program project was Texas' first direct involvement in domestic
   1-14  violence prevention through specialized programs to rehabilitate
   1-15  perpetrators, and the project is a vital supplement to law
   1-16  enforcement and the criminal justice system in responding to
   1-17  domestic violence; and
   1-18        WHEREAS, The development of specialized counseling and
   1-19  rehabilitation for batterers was in response to victims' requests
   1-20  to the Texas Council on Family Violence for services for their
   1-21  abusive partners; their experience has shown them that law
   1-22  enforcement and criminal justice intervention might briefly end
   1-23  acts of violence but did not cause their partners to change their
   1-24  abusive behavior; and
   1-25        WHEREAS, Judges and other referral sources are often required
   1-26  to refer batterers to treatment without any knowledge of the
   1-27  providers' training or knowledge of domestic violence; and
   1-28        WHEREAS, Professionals and others who specialize in domestic
   1-29  violence intervention and prevention believe that battering is
   1-30  primarily a learned behavior and that Texas must provide trained
   1-31  persons to help the perpetrator unlearn and change the battering
   1-32  behavior or the emotionally and fiscally draining cycle of violence
   1-33  will continue; and
   1-34        WHEREAS, Historically, battered women have been placed in
   1-35  jeopardy due to referrals for batterers intervention being sent to
   1-36  individuals with little or no training in the dynamics of domestic
   1-37  violence or the necessary accountability and assurances of the
   1-38  victims' safety; and
   1-39        WHEREAS, Outcome studies have shown that batterers
   1-40  intervention programs do help men develop better communication
   1-41  skills, learn to abate anger, learn conflict resolution skills,
   1-42  gain respect, and reduce animosity toward women after having
   1-43  received batterers intervention treatment; and
   1-44        WHEREAS, National experts in the field, such as Edleson,
   1-45  Hart, Gondolf, Pence, and Paymer, have concluded that successful
   1-46  batterers treatment programs have a strong accountability and
   1-47  connection to their local battered women's program; and
   1-48        WHEREAS, The community justice assistance division and the
   1-49  Texas Council on Family Violence have developed standards aimed at
   1-50  improving treatment within the battering intervention and
   1-51  prevention programs throughout the State of Texas with the
   1-52  objective of increasing victim safety and stopping violent
   1-53  behavior; and
   1-54        WHEREAS, Section 5, Article 42.141, Code of Criminal
   1-55  Procedure, establishes that battering intervention and prevention
   1-56  programs can only be state-funded in counties where a battered
   1-57  women's shelter or services exists, and while there are 62 shelters
   1-58  there are currently only 20 batterers intervention and prevention
   1-59  programs; and
   1-60        WHEREAS, In fiscal year 1994, 20 state-funded battering
   1-61  intervention and prevention programs provided intervention and
   1-62  rehabilitation services to 4,735 batterers; now, therefore, be it
   1-63        RESOLVED, That the 74th Legislature request and encourage
   1-64  local counselors and professionals to obtain training and to
   1-65  affiliate themselves as volunteers and counselors with already
   1-66  established battered women's centers and battering intervention
   1-67  programs to develop additional battering intervention and
   1-68  prevention programs and services which meet the state standards;
    2-1  and, be it further
    2-2        RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be prepared and
    2-3  forwarded to the community justice assistance division of the Texas
    2-4  Department of Criminal Justice to be dispersed to the community
    2-5  service agencies.
    2-6                               * * * * *