District Attorney Vance Invests In Innovative Domestic Violence Intervention Program

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the award of a $1.475 million grant to Urban Resource Institute (URI), a leading provider of domestic violence programs and services in New York City, to plan and implement an abusive partner intervention program (APIP) in Manhattan. The program, which is being funded through the Manhattan D.A.’s Criminal Justice Investment Initiative (CJII), aims to help domestic abusers understand and take responsibility for their behaviors using a trauma-informed approach designed to support long-term healing and reduce intimate partner violence recidivism.

“I am proud to invest in this innovative approach to combat the public health crisis of domestic violence in New York City,” said District Attorney Vance. “We cannot ignore the reality that many survivors of domestic violence remain in contact or in a relationship with an abusive partner. These survivors deserve protection, too. Urban Resource Institute has the track record and vision to work with abusive partners to address their behavior – and the underlying trauma that many abusers have endured – while still holding the abusers accountable for their violent conduct.”

“URI has successfully offered a trauma-informed APIP program in Westchester for the past two years, using a research-backed approach to help hold perpetrators accountable for their actions and prevent ongoing abusive behavior,” said Nathaniel Fields, president and CEO of Urban Resource Institute. “The opportunity to partner with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office will expand our ability to disrupt and end cycles of abuse.”

URI’s programming, which will begin on January 1, 2019, will show abusive partners how to develop alternatives to using violence and control in relationships, and to change the attitudes and beliefs used to justify abuse. The program will incorporate best practices for working with individuals who have experienced trauma, leveraging research that suggests trauma and the perpetration of domestic violence are linked.

The programming will focus on individuals charged with a misdemeanor or certain felony charges in an intimate partner violence case who are mandated to complete the APIP as part of a sentence or plea agreement. URI’s program will be more supportive and holistic than traditional programming to ensure that participants can engage, respond to the intervention, and make meaningful and sustained behavior changes. Program participants will also have access to voluntary, high-quality therapeutic services to directly address untreated trauma.

About Urban Resource Institute

Urban Resource Institute (URI) is a leading non-profit organization that provides comprehensive, holistic, and supportive social services that aid and empower New Yorkers in times of crisis. URI’s programs provide care for survivors of domestic violence, individuals with developmental disabilities, homeless families, and other at-risk populations, allowing them to live in safety and recover from trauma in both residential and non-residential settings. With deep community relationships and a flexible, innovative approach to program development and service delivery, URI is uniquely equipped to provide solutions to the challenges affecting New York City’s most vulnerable populations. URI merged with the Center Against Domestic Violence in 2018, the first licensed provider of domestic violence shelter in New York. With nearly 80 years of combined experience, the organization is the largest provider of domestic violence residential services in the country, with the ability to shelter over 1,000 individuals, including survivors and their families, on any given day.

About the Criminal Justice Investment Initiative

District Attorney Vance is making a series of investments through the Criminal Justice Investment Initiative (CJII) to strengthen communities, prevent crime and accelerate reform in the justice system. Learn more here.

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