ABSTRACT
Substance use and family violence problems commonly co-occur, and constitute a major public health issue that is being encountered throughout criminal justice and mental health systems. Rates of co-occurring substance abuse and domestic violence are high, ranging from 40%-92% across studies (Bennett & Lawson, 1994; Brookoff, O’Brien, Cook, Thomp-son, & Williams, 1997; Easton, Suzanne, & Sinha, 2000a, 2000b; Wekerle & Wall, this volume; Wilt & Olson, 1996). For example, Davidovich (1990) reported that 60% of batterers were intoxicated during their assault, and 70% were under the influence of both drugs and alcohol during their violent episode. A recent study by Brookoff et al. (1997) showed that 92% of assailants used alcohol or drugs on the day of the domestic violence assault, 44% had prior arrests for charges related to violence, and 72% had arrests related to substance use. Thus, the base rates for substance-related problems among batterers are quite high.
