Dallas domestic violence program aims to rehabilitate violent offenders
DALLAS - The Family Place in Dallas is finding success with a domestic violence program that’s aimed at offenders rather than victims.
The unique program is called BIPP, or the Battering Intervention and Prevention Program.
"The battering and intervention program is a program that’s designed for offenders to change their abusive behaviors if they choose," said Tiffany Tate, the president and CEO of The Family Place.
The court-ordered program uses the Duluth Change Behaviors curriculum and teaches batterers how to identify, challenge, and change their violent behaviors.
"We have to normalize just love and tenderness in people who use abuse as a control tactic," Tate said.
By the Numbers: In 2023, The Family Place received 26,000 calls on its hotline from people who were either fleeing or needing to flee domestic violence or needing supportive services.
Of the 285 men and 30 women who went through the BIPP program last year, only about 1% re-offended.
"We look at internally how many people return to our program and how many victims are re-offended by people that were in our program, and our recidivism rate is about 1%," Tate said.
Featured
Federal prosecutors call attention to domestic violence cases in Texas
The four federal prosecutors representing the state of Texas toured a Dallas domestic violence shelter on Tuesday, chatting with victims and advocates to try to come up with solutions.
What People Are Saying: A past offender only identified as Michael is in the process of attending intense, 90-minute group counseling sessions for 30 weeks.
"During the time before I had the program there was a cycle. I mean, I was arrested multiple times, and it was always within a year and a half. Since I been in the program, I haven’t had a single altercation with law enforcement," he said.
Michael said he has turned his behaviors and believes he’s now a better man because of BIPP.
"The program people get what they put in it. If you really work the steps and you’re completely honest with yourself, you’re going to, you’re going to achieve something, right? You’ll be able to break that cycle not just for yourself but for everybody that comes around to you and it is possible. Change is possible," he said.
Dig Deeper: To learn more about The Family Place or to get help, visit www.familyplace.org.
For BIPP information, visit www.familyplace.org/services/ourservices#service12.