"I might be in this community online, but I’m in a room on my own” Exploring the use of digital technology in intervention for perpetrators of domestic and family violence

Domestic and Family violence (DFV) is a global issue that significantly impacts individuals and communities. Decades of research, policy and service provision has attempted to stop DFV, typically by engaging with victim survivors to support their safety. This approach created a systemic lens where victim survivors of DFV are more publicly visible than the perpetrators of violence. To address this, specific policy, research and service provision was introduced in the 1980s and has developed over recent decades that focuses specifically on perpetrators of DFV. This area of focus involves targeted perpetrator intervention, which are services and programs that engage directly with perpetrators of DFV, commonly referred to as Domestic & Family Violence Perpetrator Programs (DFVPPs). DFVPPs are typically group-based programs, delivered in-person at service sites for mostly male participants. In Australia the two main providers of targeted perpetrator intervention are corrective services, meaning attendance to programs is a mandatory component of sentencing, and non- government community-based organisations.

The research and practice landscape of perpetrator intervention has not widely embraced digital and online methods of intervention, unlike other intervention areas like healthcare and mental health services. The digital intervention literature reflects the trend in the broader DFV sector, of focusing on digital intervention with victim survivors of violence, rather than perpetrators of violence. The evidence-base for digital perpetrator intervention is limited, with only a few studies investigating the use of technologies like computer simulation, virtual reality and interactive web-modules with perpetrators of DFV. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were emerging online perpetrator intervention programs in Australia, both in corrective services and non- government organisations. However, the catalyst for online programs occurred in 2020 when the pandemic, and the subsequent public health restrictions, meant that in-person programs were stopped, and services had to provide remote methods of service delivery. For the first time, the perpetrator intervention sector widely accepted the use of digital and online methods of service delivery, with several programs in New South Wales (NSW) delivering online versions of their programs.

This thesis draws primarily on a qualitative approach to explore the use of digital perpetrator intervention and the experiences of practitioners and perpetrators in programs. The methodological framework for this research incorporates phenomenological methods of inquiry, with a constructionist feminist lens. Quantitative data provided a breadth of understanding about the extent and nature of digital perpetrator intervention in NSW. Together, the data enabled a detailed understanding of digital perpetrator intervention to create evidence-based recommendations for policy and practice.

This thesis argues that digital perpetrator intervention programs offer unique opportunities for expanding the reach of services, and risk assessment and management, by gathering more information about the personal context of perpetrators compared to in-person program delivery. The expansion of service is linked to programs being situated in the homes of perpetrators for the first time. This thesis presents findings that indicate online programs have higher completion rates compared to in person programs (43.7% compared to 36%). Online programs also create opportunities for certain groups of perpetrators, who experience geographical and social isolation; an amplified sense of stigma and shame, and limited access to resources and support services (Gray et al 2020, Helps et al 2023, Walter & Chung 2020). For example, a key finding from this thesis is that online programs engaged a higher proportion of female offenders in corrective services compared to in person programs (8.2% of sample compared to 0.8%).

Additionally, this thesis captures the significant role of relationship-based practice in therapeutic intervention with perpetrators and highlights the differences and similarities in how the facilitator/participant and peer relationships are formed and managed in digital intervention. However, barriers limit the effectiveness of DFVPP, most notably, poor technical infrastructure in programs has a significant impact on the quality of digital programs. To innovate perpetrator intervention with technology the current funding model needs to shift to include longer-term, sustainable funding, to foster program innovation and development.

There is a need to innovate and develop targeted perpetrator interventions as they play an important role in stopping DFV. Digital programs can extend the reach of current programs and provide unique opportunities for therapeutic intervention and risk management.