Lecture on the Duluth Model

Introduction

• Speaker: Michael Payar
• Background:
  • Co-founder of the Domestic Abuse Intervention Program with Ellen Pence
  • Experience includes work with the battered women's justice project and running a nonprofit focused on gender violence issues.

Historical Context of the Duluth Model

• Originated in 1981.
• Developed in response to state legislatures enacting laws criminalizing domestic violence in the late 1970s.
• Initial community reluctance to change policies.
• The Duluth Model was pioneered by Ellen Pence, Shirley Olberg, Coral McDonald, and Michael Payar.
• Focus: Coordinated Community Response (CCR) to protect victims and hold offenders accountable.

Implementation and Challenges

• Initial challenges included resistance from police departments.
• Early experiment:
  • Different arrest protocols tested among police officers to determine best practice.
  • Mandatory arrest policy eventually adopted.
• Key agencies involved: police, prosecutors, judges, probation officers, mental health community, and victim advocates.

Key Features of the Duluth Model

• Coordinated Community Response to domestic violence.
• Focus on changing policies for victim safety and offender accountability.
• Inclusion of mental health treatment programs for offenders.
• Regular inter-agency meetings to address issues and update policies.

The Power and Control Wheel

• Developed by battered women in support groups.
• Illustrates common tactics and behaviors used by abusers.
• Emphasizes psychological and physical control in abusive relationships.
• Translated into multiple languages reflecting universal tactics used in domestic abuse.

Treatment Programs and Controversies

• Original batterers' intervention program evolved from anger management to address belief systems.
• Emphasis on understanding the intentionality behind violence and changing beliefs about supremacy and domination.
• Controversial due to differing views on gender symmetry and treatment effectiveness.
• Emphasis on the need for connection with the criminal justice system for accountability.

Addressing Sociological Factors

• The program addresses broader social and patriarchal structures that contribute to domestic violence.
• Focus on offender accountability and societal change.

The Future of Domestic Violence Intervention

• Emphasis on prevention and cultural change.
• Acknowledgement of systemic issues such as racism affecting implementation in communities of color.
• Continued focus on comprehensive community collaboration.

Conclusion

• Recognition of progress made in addressing domestic violence.
• Stress on the need for a cultural shift to reduce gender violence.
• Future emphasis on prevention and community engagement.

Additional Information

• Michael Payar’s nonprofit: Education for Critical Thinking.
• Upcoming training sessions on the Duluth Model.
• Encouragement for communities to adopt and adapt the Duluth Model philosophy and practices.