George F. Bills Knihy

Focusing on the community context of domestic batterer intervention systems, this study utilizes a mixed methods approach to analyze demographic trends and social indicators in Cabell County, WV, and Lawrence County, OH. By examining crime reports, census data, and vital statistics, it aims to uncover patterns of domestic violence. Additionally, ethnographic interviews and participant observation will provide insights into the local intervention system, contributing to a grounded theory of community violence and its underlying factors.

The purpose of this exploratory concurrent mixed methods study is to better understand the community context of domestic batterer intervention systems (Gondolf, 2002) by converging demographic trends in crime and arrest, family income, and marriage and divorce rates with community status indicators and marital conflict themes. In the study, county-level Uniform Crime Reports data, US Census data, and Vital Statistics data will be used to analyze community differences in social context and patterns of domestic violence in Cabell County, WV and Lawrence County, OH. At the same time, the local domestic batterer intervention system in Cabell County, WV, will be explored using ethnographic interviews, qualitative content analysis, and participant observation with individuals and organizations in Cabell County and at the state level in order to begin building a grounded theory of community violence.