ITP Overview

Definition of Domestic Violence:

Domestic Violence is a pattern of coercive behavior that can include physical, sexual, economic, emotional, and/or psychological abuse of one family member by another.

“Offenders” (1) use the pattern to maintain power and control over their partner and/or other family members.

This violence is based in sexist values, and it affects people in every racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic group; and includes people of all ages who have lived together or who have had an intimate relationship.

Domestic violence often escalates in severity and frequency over time and can have serious health and psychological ramifications.

Most domestic violence is not defined as criminal in our laws.

An individual’s use of power and abuse in their individual relationship serves to support the larger social structure to maintain power by men in our patriarchal society.

(1) “Offenders”: we use this language only for brevity, but also recognize that anyone can be an “offender”, but are often adept at hiding their control and abuse; people are more than simple one-word definitions

the ITP Community Change Project Domestic Violence Classes for Men is run under the principles as defined by the NOMAS Model for DV Offender Programs.

To learn more, visit NOMAS.org

 

The ITP Community Change Project: Domestic Violence Classes for Men (“ITP” or “the program”) is a domestic violence offender program that focuses on accountability and education.

The program is designed to be used by systems (“mandating agents”) that have identified a person as having committed domestic violence offenses in order to hold them accountable. It also gives them an opportunity to inform themselves about the foundational supports for domestic violence in our society, along with ways to challenge those.

ITP / ANHC believes that domestic abuse will stop when the entire community recognizes domestic violence as a violation of human rights and a social justice issue, not as an individual, mental health, or relationship problem.

ITP believes it is essential that communities, institutions, agencies, and individuals demonstrate zero tolerance for domestic violence. To that end, the ITP Community Change Project engages in professional education and training against sexism and other forms of oppression, while organizing to build and sustain an effective, culturally appropriate, comprehensive, coordinated, community response to domestic violence.

Men will stop violating women when men and communities decide they must stop.

ITP works because of the imposition of a consequence for identified abusive behaviors, along with the opportunity for learning.

• Mandating agents (2) can use the ITP program as a consequence and monitoring tool for compliance with their order to attend.

• The ITP program will monitor for class attendance, payment of fees (sliding scale-based), and respectful engagement in the program.

• The ITP program will communicate compliance to the mandating agents for their further awareness and use.

• The ITP program requirements include:

1. Attendance at 45 classes

2. Miss no more than 3 classes prior to attending 45 classes.

3. Pay all fees: $30 registration fee and a weekly class fee based on income (this fee ranges from $5 - $50).

4. Engage respectfully in the registration process and the classes.

(2) "Mandating agents": (courts, probation departments, child welfare workers, or an authority that has the ability to enforce further consequences for non-compliance)

 

ITP is an educational opportunity for those who choose to learn about the foundations of domestic violence and then choose to make changes in their lives.

ITP is not treatment, anger management, counseling, or therapy. It is not a support group for men.

• While many people can benefit from these kinds of resources, their mis-use in response to domestic violence actually causes higher risk to the victim/survivors and our communities.

• Misunderstanding that the ITP program is treatment, etc., leads to the belief that people who abuse have a problem, and therefore do not have control over their decisions. In fact, we do have control over our decisions, and the core decision is whether or not we believe we have a right to control another human being in an intimate partner relationship.

• When we decide to give up that power and to honor our partner’s rights and dignity, many opportunities for growth begin to occur.

The ITP program recognizes that we cannot control nor predict what any individual does or will do outside of the time they are in our classes.