Domestic Violence Domenic Serago

Professor Abodalo 10-22-01

BATTERERS

Does arresting batterers do more harm than good? For this debate my side is the

con and I will give ideas and support to their views. Before I get started I just want to say

that I don’t condone husbands beating their wives at all, and many others feel the same

way. Battering is a learn behavior you are accountable for your own actions and must

face the serve consequences ahead. Many people believe that what is happening in there

own home is unique but it is not because it occurs in all family households all over the

world. In one survey one quarter (25%) of United States couples report at least one

incident of physical aggression occurring between them during the course of their

relationship. Physical and emotional abuse of a partner or family member is never o.k.

but has we learned in class that some societies allow it and see it has being ok. Domestic

Violence is a major social problem that we face today has a society and it is hard to solve

because it is hidden and not reported much. Cops are not trained in domestic violence

disputes so for them the answer is just to arrest and send the guy to jail is that the best

solution? The women have the choice of leaving and starting a whole knew life but it’s

not has simply has it sounds. These men put fear in their minds and in most cases for

some odd reason things women still stay with them because they say they still love them

and want to be with them. It’s one of those issues that when dealt with it’s a hard task to

approach and solve. There are many people involve you have the children to think about

so it’s hard to please all the party’s but something has to be done either jail time or

treatment programs.

From the con’s point of view they like to look at other ways of dealing with

batterers than just sending them to jail. By locking them up, law enforcement has taken

the easy way out of dealing with the issue. We should be trying to get to the root of all

the problems and see why and understand these individuals choose to use violence to deal

with there everyday problems. The pro side just wants to throw away the key at the

batterers. In most cases the batterers will not spend along time in jail. When they get

released they are going to go right back to what they were doing before beating their love

ones. This is because when they were in jail that were not given any help to deal with

their problems. By putting them in jail their going to be able to build up angry and

frustration and when they get out they are going to being looking to retaliate the ones that

put them in the confines of the jail. So the women will be targets first so we are putting

them in harm and danger of their lives. Some other problems a rise when we decide to

put batterers in jail because we are taking the child’s father out of the home and with that

might be the income coming into the house to pay the bills and put food on the table and

clothes on the child. I know that sounds like the best thing for the child to take the father

out of the house to stop the abuse that was going on. In some cases the ones who are

batterers hold jobs, are normally nice people but when we are dealing with alcohol and

drug abuse these batterers need help so they can stop. Jails are already facing their own

problems of being overcrowded and not clean and running up to standard, than why do

we add to those problems by arresting batterers? The state spends so much money on

building new jails to store all the criminals why not put this money some good use and

start treatment prevention programs. Jails will stop the violence but it’s only going to be

temporarily because they will be let free and will just do it all over again.

Instead of just locking up the batterers and throwing away the key let’s try to help

the individual and the family out by getting them back on track to a safe place to live and

being there for one other. Locking the batterers up is a short-term approach how about

we try treatment and batterer programs to help solve the problems of abuse in the home.

Am the type of person that likes to give a person a second chance and try to help the

person out that needs help because they have a problem and with treatment programs

it can help and maybe solve the problem of men hitting their wife. I think that batterers

need to seek help out by either going to anger management or couples counseling so they

can talk out their problem instead of using violence. Try to see why they are having

problem in the home and come up with ways to deal with it. That sounds good but it’s

hard for it to happen because the government says they don’t have enough money to start

the programs. They feel the batterers should pay but if you are locking them up they can

not work and make money. The pro side is saying that we can’t make the batter go to the

programs it has to be up to them to go and want help for themselves we can not force

them. Coming from the con side we feel that if we have the counselors go in

aggressively and urge inmates to enroll in treatment programs. Have the state provide

funding for batterers’ treatment programs. If we keep active and aggressive the batterers

hopefully will come to their senses and see what they are doing is wrong. Having the

batterers working with social workers and other professionals is allowing them to help

build the batterers self-esteem up because abuse is based on jealousy that stems from

deep insecurities. In the treatment programs we are trying to teach and educate the

batterers that what they are doing is wrong and takes responsibility for their actions and

and want to chance for the better.

Is there a way out? Does fear and angry always have to be a part of our lives.

However, through intervention and education, individuals can learn non- violent

strategies to deal with anger and domestic violence issues. Jails aren’t taking steps to

break the cycle of having the batterers coming back. We need to change is the sense of

entitlement- that it is their right to control the lives of their partners. It has shown in

reports that treatment programs can work and be successful the ranged from 53% to 85%

of batterers when the come out of the program don’t go back to old ways.

Word Count: 1174