Intimate Partner Violence Intervention

This program aims to change the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of people who have been charged with intimate partner abuse or have a history of such behavior. In this context, “intimate partner abuse” refers to a range of coercive and harmful behaviors within a romantic or sexual relationship. Some people will participate in the program as an alternative to prison or jail time, or as a condition of probation.

Osborne has been working to understand, interrupt, and end violence and coercion within families for nearly forty years. In prison classrooms and visiting rooms, in our community offices, and on video screens, we’ve learned a lot about the deep roots of intimate partner violence and the beliefs and trauma that can underlie the impulse to harm or control another person. Drawing on this knowledge, APIP seeks transformative changes. The program uses two curricula, one designed for people who identify as men and another for people who identify as women. In its classes, participants make connections between their family models, personal experiences of violence, and present-day relationships, and learn how to relate to intimate partners in respectful and affirming ways. Depending on the court mandate or need, classes run for either 16 or 26 sessions and are offered in English or Spanish.