REHABILITATION

There are some who have a theory, Once an abuser forever an abuser. Different program have tried and failed. I have been following one locally in the State Correctional Facility in Albion Pennsylvania, that I feel has a great model and success rate.

Around the year 2000 I interviewed a state corrections officer for the correction facility in Albion PA. She explained the program they had then for the offenders that were incarcerated for domestic violence offenses deadly or non deadly as they were characterized at that time.

I thought the program they were using was ingenious, and attempted to find out if that was still their practice currently, and could not confirm it. At that time in the year 2000, when a perpetrator entered the system at Albion he was mandated to enroll in this program. Day one; they entered a counseling session where they were treated along the lines of AA meeting. They would come in and tell their side of the story. Initially that story would be about how the victim pushed the perpetrators button, had asked for it and similar comments. The inmates who had been in the program for some time would challenge these perpetrators in a way they never had been challenged before. "So, you are saying she asked for it, or she likes it, well you are a liar!" They would add comments like, "You are a looser who can't control yourself. You, had a great woman and because you are a whiny baby, you lost control and hurt the one you loved. Real men are in control of their body and emotions.We know this because at one time we were that stupid also."

Every day of therapy, while a newbie tried to blame someone else for being there, he was challenged and belittled, much like he did to his victim. There would come a point where they would come to the understanding, and admit, "OK, you're right. I couldn't control myself." Or something to that effect. Then the inmates who were running the program would praise them and help them with counseling and anger management suggestions. The program was four months long. As soon as someone completed his four months, he went back in to the program. Eventually the inmates who got it, began to run the program. They were more effective than having a guard or psychologist, because they understood both sides of the argument. When I spoke with the corrections officer in 2000, the program had been running this way and been a model for nearly ten years.