Safe House introduces program in Cape to help men end abuse toward women

In an effort to break the cycle of domestic abuse, the Safe House for Women is partnering with state and local law enforcement to intervene and help educate those convicted of domestic abuse.

"The court system, probation and parole systems have recognized that other methods of batterer intervention, such as anger management or couples counseling, have not resulted in positive outcomes for victims of abuse, whereas this program shows the most promise and progress toward actually creating a change," said Jessica Hill, executive director of the Safe House.

Amy Vinson, program coordinator, said the Batterer Intervention Program, or BIP, is used to help men who batter women learn what battering is, and why they do it.

"Basically, what we will be doing is an educational process," Vinson said, teaching critical thinking skills and helping batterers understand how their actions affect themselves and other people.

"If they grew up in a dysfunctional family, the batterer might have grown up in a battering environment. This could be very normal and part of his natural way of functioning," Vinson said.

Vinson said the education is crucial. "A lot of men do define themselves as, 'I'm not bad, I just made a mistake,' but when we break down into their beliefs, attitudes and decisions, they can make self discoveries and recognize that yes, they were doing some bad things, and most of them start to think differently."

Those different thought processes can help inform healthier relationships, Vinson added.

Hill said she anticipates most participants will be referred by the Missouri Division of Probation and Parole to participate in the program, so the program has to be certified by that division.

"We've gone through that process," Hill said, which took about nine months: writing policies, training staff, finding and certifying coordinator Vinson, observing other BIPs and securing the location -- classes will be held at the new Cape Girardeau police station, at 2530 Maria Louise Drive.

Police chief Wes Blair said he thinks it's an all-around great program.

"It's a great opportunity for us to partner with the Safe House for Women beyond just providing services for women, but provide education to prevent further occurrences," Blair said.

The six-month program will have classes that meet once a week, Vinson said.

Participants will be primarily from Cape Girardeau and Bollinger Counties, although they can come from anywhere, Hill said, adding the nearest BIPs are in East Prairie, Poplar Bluff or Farmington, Missouri -- and those are a bit of a drive.

"There's a waiting list in Cape of people who need this program," Hill said, and someone might not be able to complete probation or parole until this is met as a condition.

"I anticipate the class will fill up quickly," Hill said.

There really is a cycle of violence in some families, Hill said, and this program will help address that.

The Safe House also has a youth violence prevention program, she said, which focuses on junior-high and high-school students developing healthy friendships and safe dating practices.

"Whatever we can do to prevent domestic violence before it starts, and if we can help bring it to a conclusion, we will," Vinson said.

"I'm very excited about adding this to the range of services we provide to our community," Vinson said. "I think it will be a real benefit to the safety of our county and this area."

Classes will start in September; more information is available at semosafehouse.org or at the outreach office at 230 N. Spring St. in Cape Girardeau.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630