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1997 SESSION

971595833
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 272
Offered January 16, 1997
Requesting the Commission on Family Violence Prevention to develop standards of practice for batterer intervention programs.
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Patrons-- Howell, Houck and Stolle; Delegates: Melvin, Puller and Watts
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Referred to the Committee on Rules
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WHEREAS, family violence is a serious problem which is addressed in a variety of ways, including the recent passage of legislation to strengthen the Commonwealth's arrest policy in cases involving family or household member assault and battery and for violations of protective orders; and

WHEREAS, studies show that intervention programs which hold batters accountable for their actions following arrest and conviction are important elements in a comprehensive plan to address family violence; and

WHEREAS, evidence suggests that substance abuse is not the cause of domestic violence but is a significant contributing factor for some batterers; and

WHEREAS, better coordination of batterer intervention programs and substance abuse treatment programs is essential to the success of the intervention program for these offenders; and

WHEREAS, standardization of batterer intervention programs and establishment of minimum training and educational standards for service providers is necessary to ensure ongoing program evaluation and consistency of services offered ; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the Commission on Family Violence Prevention is requested to develop standards of practice for batterer intervention programs providing court-ordered intervention that address core elements identified by the Commission's Batterer Intervention Task Group, as follows: program philosophy and purpose; group type and structure; provider qualifications; continuing education and training for staff; intake procedures; noncompliance with and feedback to courts; and program certification, monitoring and evaluation. The program standards shall also include guidelines for identification of and response to clients with alcohol and other substance abuse problems, and for coordination with and referral to alcohol and substance abuse treatment services.

The Commission shall complete its work in time to submit its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the 1998 Session of the General Assembly as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents.

Implementation of this resolution is subject to subsequent approval and certification by the Joint Rules Committee. The Committee may withhold expenditures or delay the period for the conduct of the study.