New Report Finds Urban Resource Institute’s Trauma-Informed Abusive Partner Intervention Program May Be Associated With Reduced Re-Arrest and Serious Convictions
Urban Resource Institute’s pioneering model demonstrates that healing and accountability together can break the cycle of violence.
November 3, 2025 | New York, NY — A new national evaluation released by the Urban Institute highlights promising practices emerging from the Trauma-Informed Abusive Partner Intervention Program (TI-APIP) developed by the Urban Resource Institute (URI). Funded by the District Attorney of New York County (DANY) and managed in partnership with the CUNY Institute for State & Local Governance (ISLG), the study reveals that trauma-informed interventions centered on accountability and behavioral change may help reduce recidivism and foster long-term transformation among people who have caused harm.
The evaluation found that participants in URI’s program were significantly less likely to be re-arrested within a year of completing the program, and that none received a prison sentence within 12 months of completion, compared to 3 percent in a matched comparison group.
These findings highlight a promising practice in domestic violence prevention — one that places healing and accountability at the center of building safer and stronger communities, and one that warrants further investment for its potential to reduce recidivism and increase survivor safety.
“Domestic violence remains one of the most persistent public health and safety crises in our country,” said Nathaniel M. Fields, CEO of the Urban Resource Institute. “For decades, governments and advocates have worked tirelessly to reduce these numbers, yet progress has remained slow. This evaluation shows that approaches like URI’s Abusive Partner Intervention Program can begin to change that trajectory. When accountability and healing come together, we can finally start to drive down rates of violence and build safer communities for all.
“We know that trauma and violence are deeply connected. For too long, the system has focused only on punishment. This study reinforces what we see in our work every day — that healing can strengthen accountability and disrupt cycles of harm. This is how we move from crisis response to true prevention.”
Conducted between June 2019 and October 2022, the Urban Institute evaluation followed 124 participants, predominantly Black and Brown cisgender men charged with intimate partner violence-related offenses. More than 90 percent had experienced trauma, including childhood abuse, community violence, or exposure to domestic violence.
Through a 26-week curriculum grounded in empathy, accountability, and cultural responsiveness, participants learned conflict resolution, emotional regulation, and nonviolent communication. Facilitated by trauma-informed staff, the program created a supportive environment where individuals could explore the roots of their behavior, challenge harmful beliefs, and build the capacity for empathy and change.
Released amid ongoing uncertainty around federal funding and a national rise in intimate partner violence, the evaluation provides a forward-looking framework for prevention. Advocates say it reinforces the need for continued investment in promising, trauma-informed approaches that serve both survivors and those who cause harm.
A New Direction for Systems Change
As the largest provider of domestic violence shelter services in the United States, URI is leading a national shift in how systems respond to violence. The organization’s approach recognizes that safety is a human right, healing is revolutionary, and that meaningful prevention requires innovation with purpose.
URI’s continuum of services — from early youth prevention to survivor support and behavioral intervention — reflects a comprehensive, trauma-informed framework to break cycles and build futures. The TI-APIP evaluation represents an important step in documenting promising practices that can shape policy, guide replication, and inform systemic change.
“We are redefining what justice looks like,” Fields said. “A trauma-informed approach does not just change individuals. It changes systems. This is how we build safer, more compassionate communities for everyone.”
Read the full report here.
About Urban Resource Institute:
Urban Resource Institute (URI) is a pioneering organization that transforms the lives of domestic violence survivors and homeless families by empowering individuals, families, and communities to break free from cycles of domestic violence, homelessness, poverty and trauma. As the largest provider of domestic violence shelter services in the U.S. and a leading advocate for homeless services, URI impacts over 40,000 individuals annually through prevention, intervention, education, and direct services in both residential and non-residential settings in New York. URI is recognized as a thought-leader with influence across the U.S. and beyond. For more information, visit www.urinyc.org or follow on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.
For immediate assistance, please call NYC’s 24-hour Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-621-HOPE or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE.
