This is to update you on the use of Men Stopping Violence as a referral source for men who have been abusive in their relationships with women.

MSV conducts a 24-week educational course for batterers. These men are confronted about their abusive and controlling behaviors. They also are taught new strategies for dealing with their feelings and thoughts without attacking their partner or children.

Every two weeks we hold a Thursday evening orientation for men who want to learn what it takes to enter and complete the program. Here one of the staff instructors and a man who has completed the 6-month program will explain this and answer questions regarding eligibility, fees, etc. Men who take some responsibility for their violence and indicate a willingness to work to stop it may then proceed with our intake process.

Our experience has been that, if a man is to change his violent and abusive behavior, two things must happen. First, he must experience the real consequences of his actions. Second, he must claim what he did and work to control himself and not others. (An example would be his entering a guilty plea if charged with a crime he committed.)

We expect that there will be some level of minimization and denial on the part of a batterer. However, when a man takes no responsibility for his abuse, we do not accept him into our program because the degree of his denial makes him an ongoing danger to the victim. Given the nature of our program, allowing a man to participate when he has no interest in stopping his violence is dangerous, as it could signal to her and to the court and community that he is less of a threat than he has been in the past.

MSV does not conduct psychological evaluations because battering is not a psychological disturbance. According to the most recent studies, psychological testing instruments do not reveal appreciable differences between men who batter and men who don't batter. What batterers do have in common is their use of violent behavior to maintain control over their partners. The best predictor of violence is past violence. It has been documented that interventions like our program are effective with men who, at some level, know they have a problem and want to work on it.

If you're experiencing some difficulty referring a man because of his resistance, we suggest that you not try to persuade him. If he does attend an orientation, he will know whether he has a problem with his violence and whether we're the people who can help him deal with it. (If he won't come to an orientation, how serious is he about wanting to change?)

To refer a man, simply give him the MSV telephone number. A 24-hour answering machine message will tell him about the next orientation and when to call for directions.

If you have questions about the process, please feel free to contact us at msv@menstoppingviolence.org or (404) 270-9894.