Today’s Topic : Can domestic batterers be “cured” by therapy?

The domestic violence statistics in the United States today are staggering: Almost 4 million women a year are physically abused by their husbands or boyfriends. ; The American Medical Assn. puts the cost at between $5 billion and $10 billion for health care, lost productivity and criminal justice intervention.

Ending the violence is a seemingly insurmountable task, with most efforts focusing on getting the woman away from the abusive man. Some experts, however, advocate treating the abuser. Psychologist Sandra G. Baca speaks in today’s Conversation about her work, which requires faith that batterers can reform themselves. Others are less sure.

“We historically have not put a lot of faith in the rehabilitation of batterers as a means of helping the victim resolve the battering or abuse in a relationship,” says Leah Aldridge, project director for the Teen Abuse Prevention Program for the L.A. Commission on Assault Against Women. “There are programs that are successful but (success) is entirely up to the behavior of the individual and the individual’s willingness to change.”

Assessing the success rate of rehabilitation programs is another challenge. “Most of the studies had gigantic dropout rates of up to 75%,” says Ola Barnett, a professor of psychology at Pepperdine University. “Those that stayed had quite a bit of success in getting the actual physical violence to abate.”

Barnett believes court-ordered treatment, as Baca provides, is most effective: “Court-mandated therapy sends a message that this will not be tolerated by the community. But when you look over the panorama of psychological problems, not all are amenable to treatment.”