MONROE — The Monroe Municipal Court is utilizing a program called Domestic Violence Moral Reconation Therapy (DV-MRT) to help convicted offenders in domestic violence cases. The program, used in 51 Washington courts across 12 counties, had seven graduates from Monroe in 2024. Research shows successful completion of DV-MRT lowers reconviction rates and offers a low-cost treatment option for domestic violence offenders.
”Intimate partner violence is the most violent crime that we see at Monroe Municipal Court,” Judge Jessica Ness said at a City Council meeting in April.
The DV-MRT program at Monroe Municipal Court is part of a broader effort to address domestic violence through cognitive-behavioral therapy. Participants are typically on some form of supervised probation during their treatment. It is up to the judge involved with sentencing to decide if they will assign an individual to complete the program and any requirements associated with their sentencing.
“Moral reconation” is a process of moral reasoning and conscious decision-making to improve choices and behavior. The cognitive-behavioral approach used in DV-MRT involves restructuring a person’s behavior by identifying triggers that lead the individual to respond with violence or aggression.
Participants are assigned to read each module of the workbook “Finding Peace in Relationships,” by Dr. Gregory L. Little and Dr. Kenneth D. Robinson. The workbook has 24 modules and is paired with weekly group therapy sessions and homework that is done prior to each session. Each module covers topics associated with behaviors and triggers. The modules also cover the law to make it clear to the participant that their violent behavior is unacceptable. They learn how a person establishes patterns in thinking and doing, based on their environment. For example, in one module, participants will read about how personal and familial beliefs contribute to how they treat others and judge situations. They answer questions in the workbook that help identify their issues with power and control in situations with an intimate partner.
The workbook and group sessions help the individual to learn new coping strategies to help avoid reacting with violence when triggered.
“(Domestic violence) offenders confront their own issues of power and control in a group setting that is led by our probation counselor Brad Cotton,” Judge Ness said. “We had four graduates in the first year of the program and this last year in 2024 we had seven graduates of the program. One of the recent graduates that we had told us that the program helped him maintain his sobriety and that he was daily using the tools learned in the program.”
Monroe Municipal Court offers rolling enrollment in DV-MRT for male offenders, allowing participants to join at any time, with class sizes limited to 10 individuals. It comes with a cost of $125 per participant, though the judge may waive the fee for low-income participants. Female domestic violence offenders are currently referred out to existing DV-MRT programs or alternate programs in other cities, with many offering virtual meetings.
The program is available as a sentencing option for judges, and state agencies such as the Department of Corrections (DOC) and the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) may refer individuals to participate.
Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT) was created by Little and Robinson. They introduced the workbook for use in correction facilities in 1988. In addition to domestic violence, there are MRT programs focused on substance abuse and anger management.
According to Domestic Violence Services of Snohomish County, physical abuse “is a tool that abusers use to maintain control over their partners. Other forms of abuse, such as emotional, verbal, and financial abuse are also considered domestic violence and should be taken seriously.”
The Washington Supreme Court Gender and Justice Commission (GJC) conducted a three-year study on DV-MRT in partnership with Washington State University and published findings in 2021. Dr. Amelie Pedneault wrote in the study’s summary that “the DV-MRT program appears to increase public safety in preventing the reoccurrence of DV crimes committed in the short-term by court-involved individuals. This makes court-sponsored DV-MRT a promising program considering its much lower costs compared to traditional DV treatment.”
For more information on DV-MRT go to: https://moral-reconation-therapy.com/domestic-violence.html
