Women's Use of Force

Following changes in law enforcement policies that encourage or mandate arrest of domestic violence offenders, a concomitant increase in women arrested and mandated to batterer treatment programs has resulted. Most research findings, however, suggest that heterosexual intimate violence is gendered, with abuse, power, and control wielded by men over their female partners, and that when women use violence, it is typically in self defense or for nonaggressive reasons. However, few studies have investigated the female batterer treatment programs and the context of the women's use of violence. Using qualitative data collected from observations of three female domestic violence offender programs, this article examines women's interpretations of their violent experiences. In addition, the findings raise policy-level questions about the appropriateness of such programs, weighing the costs and benefits of a criminal justice approach to women's use of force in intimate relationships.