Treating female perpetrators: state standards for batterer intervention services.

Although domestic violence has historically been considered primarily a crime perpetrated by men, increasing numbers ofwomen are being arrested and mandated into batterer intervention programs. This study examined existing state policies to explore the degree to which they address the unique needs of women in batterer intervention programs. Nearly all existing standards were designed primarily to address the needs of heterosexual male clients.The goal of the study was to examine existing standards as they relate to female perpetrators and to make recommendations for future development of state standards.