Recidivism among spousal abusers: predictions and program evaluation

The relative effectiveness of two interventions for dealing with 200 court-referred spousal abusers is examined. The overall failure rate is 17.5%, with most recidivism occurring during the first 6 months after treatment. Offenders who completed a 14-week group treatment program called SAFE manifest significantly lower rates of recidivism (10.6%) than do offenders who did not complete the mandated treatment (38.8%). Some high-risk clients are referred to a cognitive restructuring treatment program called R&R, and those completing both programs (despite their high-risk status) have a recidivism rate of only 23.5%. Prediction of recidivism is difficult, with the LSI-R scores correctly predicting only 66% of the outcomes, using a cut score of 11.5. The exploration of other predictors is encouraged.