I'm surprised this debate is still being played out. We have had 109 completions of our 26 week violence prevention programme here in London, UK since Oct.97 and 5 known re-convictions, 4 against subsequent partners and 1 against an ex-partner. Whilst feedback from our women's support service is lacking in volume because of low take-up rates, we feel we are doing something right on these figures. If 1 in 4 men will assault a partner/ex-partner at some time and 1 in 3 women will be assaulted, the choice seems to lie between work on changing/enabling change in men or building a refuge or prison on every block. Whilst prison is appropriate in some cases, in the UK prison doesn't contain these men, it only serves to increase their anger/distorted thinking, enable them to play the victim, issue threats on phones from the prison landing, or demand prison visits so that further abuse can be delivered. At best it allows the survivor a period of time to make good her escape if she wants to leave (usually only to be found later when he is released). Having worked in one, I would regard male prisons as the most macho/misogynistic environments that exist anywhere. Given that women often want the relationship to continue but the violence to stop, this option does not offer a long term solution. If programmes for men are not working, then let's make them work by sharing expertise, organising and developing standards for good practice and resourcing them in such a way that women's support services are given equal priority in any project aimed at men. Perhaps then we will reach a stage where old arguments about competing needs of men and women are replaced with debate about how best to stop the violence and increase the safety of women and children.
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