When it comes to family issues, domestic violence incidents tend to branch out from simple situations into complicated cases. As such, many of the solutions suggested by people studying such cases involve dealing with the possible root causes of the issue to prevent things from escalating further. One of these offered solutions is anger management.
While it is true that domestic abuse cases involve a host of strong emotions both during and after the alleged act, they aren’t always part of the core issues in all cases. Anger management may only work with what’s on the surface and fail to correct the underlying problems related to the domestic abuse case. Let’s look at why anger management does not always prevent domestic violence in Las Vegas.
Why Anger Management?
Before we go further, let’s look at why anger management seems to be a go-to solution for incidents of domestic violence. As listed in some corrective service guidelines, convicted domestic violence offenders are expected to spend time in an anger management program to help deal with their emotional issues. It could either be a full-blown program in lieu of prison time, or part of the prison sentence is suspended in exchange for a house arrest and a visit to a staggered anger management course.
The intent is pretty straightforward: by learning to control their emotions, it is hoped that domestic abuse offenders will be able to better handle family problems and avoid resorting to violence in the long run. The long-term aim is to teach the offender to use other methods to deal with issues and conflicts at home.
So, Why Does It Not Work?
One of the common misconceptions about domestic violence among people not familiar with the subject is that anger alone drives domestic abusers to commit these acts. They think that by simply being able to have a handle on emotional outbursts, particularly those episodes of extreme rage and anxiety, they can minimize, if not outright avoid, a repeat of domestic abuse incidents in the future.
This belief is one of the misconceptions that domestic abuse advocates often refute. They always point out that domestic violence is not about anger, but control of another person at all levels. They insist that, for a person to really turn away from a life of domestic coercion and control, they need to stop using violent methods to influence how their partner acts and thinks. Focusing on the anger aspect does not even scratch the main point of domestic abuse in the first place.
What Really Matters
It is commendable that people want to offer solutions that they believe will help minimize the incidents of domestic abuse happening across Las Vegas in particular, and the country as a whole. Understanding how perpetrators feel and act is a decent first step, as they try to step in the person’s shoes and determine what motivates them to act in a certain way.
However, not all problems can be solved by dealing with the visible issues; there are many pertinent problems that experts need to look into deeper to get better results. They can look at things that motivate (or in this case, demotivate) alleged domestic violence offenders, and seek ways to alleviate these problems for a more long-term solution. They may even find ways to minimize false convictions for alleged domestic violence offenders along the way.
Working on anger issues for domestic violence defendants is a good start, but it doesn’t always reach into the core of the issue, and it is never the same situation for each case. Legal and psychological professionals need to work out more effective ways to reduce domestic violence cases in the future through more effective methods and education.