CAIN’S DOMESTIC VIOLENCE BILL BECOMES LAW

Law will increase access to batterer intervention programs for women and men

AUGUSTA—Senator Emily Cain’s bill to increase access to batterer intervention programs was signed into law by Governor Paul LePage yesterday.

“To curb domestic violence, batterer intervention programs must be available to men and women in Maine,” said Senator Cain, D-Orono. “These programs work, and must be available for all perpetrators of domestic violence, regardless of gender.”

The law will ensure gender equality for certified batterer intervention programs by approving gender-neutral certification standards. Currently, there are certified batterer intervention programs in Maine for men, but not for women.

Senator Cain introduced the bill on behalf of Governor LePage following a Maine Supreme Judicial Court case in which the requirement for a male domestic violence perpetrator to attend a certified batterer intervention program as a condition of probation was dismissed. Deputy Chief Judge Robert Mullen stated that requiring men, but not women, to attend the program “clearly punishes the male more severely than the female for the same offense.”

The new standards would not specify a gender for batterers’ intervention programs to meet certification requirements. They will be gender neutral.

As an emergency measure, the law will take effect immediately.

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