Following changes in law enforcement policies that encourage or mandate arrest of domestic violence offenders, a concomitant increase in women arrested and mandated to batterer treatment programs has resulted. Most research findings, however, suggest that heterosexual intimate violence is gendered, with abuse, power, and control wielded by men over their female partners, and that when women use violence, it is typically in self defense or for nonaggressive reasons. However, few studies have investigated the female batterer treatment programs and the context of the women's use of violence. Using qualitative data collected from observations of three female domestic violence offender programs, this article examines women's interpretations of their violent experiences. In addition, the findings raise policy-level questions about the appropriateness of such programs, weighing the costs and benefits of a criminal justice approach to women's use of force in intimate relationships.

Nearly 60% of convicted sex offenders serve a term of felony probation or parole. Using data for 917 convicted male sex offenders on probation in 17 states, this study examines the efficacy of community supervision for this population. Offenders 'social demographics and baseline criminality were studied in conjunction with formal and informal social controls to determine their collective deterrent impact. The overall recidivism rate was 16%. However, only 4.5% of offenders committed a new sex crime during probation. Regression analyses indicate that factors readily available to court personnel can accurately predict non-sexual recidivism among sex offenders on probation. However, accurately predicting additional sexual violence proved a more dubious task. The only significant predictor of chronic sex offending was the imposition of a jail term as a condition of probation. Results indicate that under the right set of conditions, probation is the most appropriate criminal sanction for some types of sex offenders.