PRINCIPLES OF INTERVENTION
It is
critical that the actions of each participant in a coordinated community response
be guided by core principles of intervention. These core principles are founded
on the premise that the goal of intervention is stopping the violence, and
that the focus on intervention is to implement policies, procedures and protocols
that will protect the victim from additional harm, both by the abuser and
by the responding community itself. The success of the intervention depends
on whether the processes that are institutionalized centralize victim safety,
improve offender accountability, and work to change the climate in the community
from tolerance to intolerance of domestic violence.
1. Intervention
practices must reflect a commitment of accountability to the victim, whose
life is most affected by our individual and collective actions. Victims must
have access to safe housing and the advocacy services necessary to navigate
the court system.
2. Whenever
possible, the burden of offender accountability from the initial response
through placing restrictions on their behavior should rest with the institutional
response and not the victim. Focus on changing the system, not the victim.
3. All
intervention policy and practice development should consider and recognize
the differential impact of intervention depending on the economic, cultural,
ethnic, immigration, sexual orientation, ability and other statuses of victims
and offenders and should be reviewed by members of the community not represented
by the majority culture.
4. Most
incidents of violence are part of a larger pattern and history of violence.
The intensity of the intervention should be based on the need for protection
from further harm and what is needed to create a deterrence to the assailant.
5. Intervention
practices should balance the need for standardized institutional responses
with individualized responses that recognize potential danger to the victim
from confronting the offender, validate victim input and support victim autonomy.
6. The
intervention response must be built on cooperative relationships with others
that intervene in these cases and should have identified communication linkages
and procedures to ensure consistency between the civil and criminal responses.
7. Intervention
policies and procedures should be continually monitored by a group outside
the judicial system that is guided by input from advocates and battered women.
