Violence in Families: Assessing Prevention and Treatment Programs. - Review - book review

Adolescence, Summer, 1998

CHALK, Rosemary, & KING, Patricia A. (Eds.). Violence in Families: Assessing Prevention and Treatment Programs. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1998. 416pp. $39.95 (h).

Reports of mistreated children, domestic violence, and abuse of elderly persons continue to strain the capacity of police, courts, social service agencies, and health centers. Although myriad treatment and prevention programs provide services to victims and offenders, most of these programs have not been evaluated for their impact and effectiveness. Information about service provider experiences with clients is often scattered, inaccessible, and difficult to obtain. Violence in Families takes a hard look at the successes and failures of family violence interventions. It offers recommendations to guide services, programs, policy, and research on victim support and assistance, treatments and penalties for offenders, and law enforcement. Included is an analysis of 114 evaluation studies on the outcomes of different kinds of programs and services. The book explores the scope and complexity of family violence, including identification of the multiple types of victims and offenders, who require different approaches to intervention. It outlines new strategies for collaborations between researchers and practitioners that can improve the design and evaluation of prevention and treatment services for family violence. It discusses issues that underlie all types of family violence, such as the tension between family support and the protection of children, risk factors that contribute to violent behavior in families, and the balance between punitive sanctions and individual support.