Intimate Partner Violence Among Reentering Men and Their Partners: Findings from the MFS-IP Evaluation

• In Event: Intimate Partner Violence Re/Victimization

Abstract

Quantitative data on intimate partner violence (IPV) among justice-involved men before and after incarceration are scarce, and rarely include the perspectives of both partners or follow couples over time. The National Evaluation of Responsible Fatherhood, Marriage and Family Strengthening Grants for Incarcerated and Reentering Fathers and Their Partners (MFS-IP), funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has provided the opportunity to collect information about the incidence of IPV among reentering men and their intimate partners before and after the man’s incarceration.

We will present baseline and follow-up data on physical, emotional, and sexual abuse in this sample of approximately 2,000 reentering men and their partners in 5 states. Couple members were asked about abuse perpetration and victimization during the 6 months before incarceration and immediately following reentry. Individual as well as couple-level analyses will be presented, with differences and commonalities in men’s and women’s experiences identified. We will identify factors associated with IPV victimization or perpetration during reentry and compare couples’ IPV experiences before and after incarceration. Finally, we will identify directions for future research as well as practice implications for the justice and human services fields.

Authors

• Tasseli McKay, Research Triangle Institute

• Christine Lindquist, RTI International

• Anupa Bir, RTI International

• Danielle Steffey, RTI International / Florida State University