Washington Courts: Press Release Detail

Gender and Justice Commission Research Finds Domestic Violence MRT Treatment is Effective, Low Cost

Washington courts and communities are struggling to respond to domestic violence – which surged in many locations during COVID isolation. The Washington Supreme Court Gender and Justice Commission (GJC) has worked to provide guidance and resources that can improve the effectiveness of those responses.

In October, 2020 the GJC submitted two comprehensive reports to state lawmakers with detailed recommendations addressing Domestic Violence Intervention Treatment and Domestic Violence Risk Assessment. In June 2022, the GJC launched a comprehensive interactive web resource with recommendations and best practices for courts working to modernize protective order processes to provide better access and safety for filers, consistent with Washington’s new protection order statute.

Now the GJC is working to raise awareness of its unique research into a promising, low-cost treatment program for domestic violence offenders. This treatment program can give courts and communities another important response tool.

The study of Domestic Violence Moral Reconation Therapy (DV-MRT), a specific form of treatment that a small number of district and municipal courts in Washington are offering, is one of the first of its kind in the nation.  It evaluated the effectiveness of that therapy in the context of domestic violence. “Moral reconation” refers to moral reasoning and conscious decision-making that lead to better choices and behaviors. 

The evaluation was conducted by researchers at Washington State University.  It is a pilot project of the GJC’s ground-breaking, 3-year study released in 2021 on how gender impacts justice in Washington, particularly how gender effects are linked with race and ethnicity. GJC chose to evaluate DV-MRT with a pilot project because there was a lack of rigorous research into the treatment’s effectiveness, and it is important information for courts and judicial officers.

The GJC’s research found that, in the year following treatment, DV-MRT participants had a significantly lower rate of reconviction for a domestic violence offense than the comparison group (8.4% vs. 12.5%). The research showed that DV-MRT became less effective in the second year, though the treatment group still showed better outcomes than the comparison group.  The study authors recommend (among other steps) further long-term evaluations.

DV-MRT can be conducted at a fraction of the cost of other domestic violence treatment programs, which can be $50-$100 per session.  The cost of the full six-month DV-MRT program is $100 - $200. As a result, DV-MRT can significantly improve sentencing options for judicial officers and improve access for individuals who might otherwise be unable to afford treatment.

The research included numerous interviews with program participants, and many comments from participants are included in the final report.

“The Gender and Justice Commission is excited to share information about DV-MRT with the legal community,” said Washington Supreme Court Justice Sheryl Gordon McCloud, who serves as co-chair of the GJC. “Relying on primary research, our pilot project findings indicate that DV-MRT may be a successful, low-cost, therapeutic strategy to help reduce misdemeanor domestic violence offenders from reoffending.”

Researchers collected data and information from six courts using DV-MRT for the evaluation – Des Moines Municipal Court, Edmonds Municipal Court, Everett Municipal Court, Snohomish District Court, Tukwila Municipal Court and Bellevue Municipal Court. DV-MRT is used by 51 Washington courts in 12 counties.

“As a program, DV-MRT holds a lot of promise,” the study authors concluded. “It provides treatment based on therapeutic principles aimed at increasing moral reasoning and quality of decision making and ultimately at changing behavior in the context of domestic conflict. Secondly, it addresses a critical practical matter…the lack of affordable DV treatment.”

Study authors recommend updating the program’s workbook; offering extended times and modes of participation, including remote participation, and evaluating those outcomes; increasing administrative support to courts offering the program; and continuing to study DV-MRT with larger samples and longer follow-up periods.

“The GJC is grateful to the district and municipal courts who chose to initiate these programs and who participated in our pilot project,” said Kitsap County District Court Judge Marilyn Paja, co-chair of the Commission. “We are hopeful more courts will consider DV-MRT, and this will prompt additional study.”

The Washington State Gender and Justice Commission was established by the state Supreme Court in 1994 to identify measures for preventing gender bias in the courts. The Commission followed the work of the Gender and Justice Task Force, created by the Supreme Court in 1988 to thoroughly research and identify specific gender bias in the judicial system, and to develop recommendations for addressing it.

CONTACT:  Washington Supreme Court Justice Sheryl Gordon McCloud, GJC Co-Chair, (360) 357-2046; Kitsap County District Court Judge Marilyn Paja, GJC Co-Chair, mpaja@kitsap.gov, 360-337-4972; Dr. Dana Raigrodski, UW School of Law, draigrod@uw.edu; Crissy Anderson, Crissy.Anderson@courts.wa.gov.