One was found guilty of uttering threats against his ex-wife and children; the other of harassment towards his ex-spouse. Both were sent to prison before ending up at the Centre-Sud halfway house, located on Rosemont Boulevard in Montreal.
Here, for a period of about six months, speakers from the Point final program. will make every effort to forge a bond with these perpetrators of domestic violence and break their patterns of thought to avoid a recurrence. The duty made a rare foray into this program funded by the Quebec correctional services.
Beneath a skylight adorned with stained glass, Sami and Rob (assumed names are used to protect their identities) take out their notebooks and turn off their cell phones. Gathered around a table in the company of clinical advisor Cariann Bouillon, the two men with a shadowy past seem to be fully engaged in the discussion – even if the program they follow is part of a “constrained aid”, it is i.e. prescribed by a judge. Today, the workshop offered in English addresses the theme of empathy and the impact of violence on life partners and children.
In the room adorned with woodwork, the exchanges deepen as the minutes pass. Under his black cap, Rob – who was imprisoned for threats – claims to have “never done anything aggressive in front of [ses] children “. “But even if they are young, I know they understand,” he adds with emotion.
Seizing the opportunity, Cariann points out that scientific research shows that children who witness domestic violence experience effects similar to those they would suffer if they themselves were the object of this violence. “We have this responsibility as parents to be aware of what we can pass on to our children,” she told them.
The man in his forties nods. “I feel sad thinking about the effects on my children and the fact that I can no longer be with them,” he breathes. However, Rob said he was convinced that his ex-wife knew that he would not carry out his threats. “These are things that are said in my culture [l’homme est né à l’extérieur du Canada]but she knows that was not my intention, ”he says.
Cariann replies immediately. “Our words have an impact,” she says, seeking to raise awareness in the two men.
Prevention of recurrence
For 10 years, the Centre-Sud transition house has enabled perpetrators of domestic violence who have been imprisoned to participate in the Point final program, which provides them with support and a framework for reflection while they are still subject to legal measures. (conditional release or otherwise). “Our mandate is to offer people in the criminal justice system an alternative to incarceration,” says Executive Director Judith Deslauriers. […] We are really in the prevention of recidivism. »
Over the past decade, some 90 men have entered the program by being housed in one of the 33 rooms of the halfway house, which spans three floors. The participants were all selected by a worker while they were still in prison. “We do an assessment, details Judith Deslauriers. We probe their motivation, their exit plan and the level of risk they represent. »
The desire for change is essential here since the approach is “demanding”, she specifies: “It is less restrictive than prison, but it is not freedom either. More than 300 men housed in the community (not in the transition house) also completed the Point Final program. for ten years.
Create a link
To “start a beginning of change” and protect the victims, the twenty workers who work at the transition house seek above all to create a link with the men. “I am not here to judge them, it has already been done, argues the general manager. My job is to give this person all the tools possible to prevent it from happening again. Because resorting to violence is a choice. »
To ignite a spark, seven pre-therapy workshops are offered to men. The material for these workshops is provided by Option, an organization that works with the transition house and offers group therapy to perpetrators of domestic violence. ” [Les intervenants d’Option] had noticed that there was often reluctance because the men had the impression of being doubly punished [la détention, puis l’obligation d’aller en thérapie] “says Judith Deslauriers.
These preparatory workshops have therefore been developed to deconstruct their reluctance and create an initial awareness before starting external therapy. At the same time, they make it possible to supervise the men while waiting for a place to become available, which can take several months.
Loss of control
Under a fan running at full speed, Sami, jeans and a green sweater on his back, remembers having experienced the separation from his ex-girlfriend with a lot of stress and anger. “I had difficulty continuing my life. All I thought about was fixing the problem and contacting her, he says. And I hadn’t told anyone about it. Incessant calls to his ex-girlfriend ensued — which ultimately led to a conviction for harassment.
“By the separation, you had lost all control over the relationship, Cariann suggests to him. But calling him, it could be a way to regain the control you had lost. “An idea which, quietly, seems to be making its way into the mind of the 30-something. If such a situation were to arise again, the clinical counselor suggested that he think about how he could “regain control over his emotions, but outside of the relationship”.
Lever
In this workshop as in others, the gateway represented by “constrained help” is taken as a lever so that it can be transformed “into awareness and a request for help that becomes personal”, notes Judith Deslauriers. .
Despite this glimmer of hope that the Point final program may embody, its success is difficult to assess. “For us, a return to detention is not necessarily a failure,” says the director general, saying that she believes that a man in this situation “has nevertheless made certain achievements”. “But he may not have been able to implement them all,” she says. A return to custody can also be linked to an offense other than domestic violence, she notes.
Since the launch of Point finale., about half of the participants have completed the program, the others having been sent back to prison. “If there is a breach of condition, as we are talking about risk management, the probation officers will play it safe. We’re going to end the stay before something happens,” says Judith Deslauriers.
She nevertheless says she is convinced of the importance of working with the perpetrators of domestic violence. “Detention is necessary as a stop to act. It offers 100% security, but temporarily, ”she points out, since the person will one day be released from prison. “If she has not received help or support, she will return to the environment she knows, with the behaviors that are specific to her. »
During the window of time offered to them during incarceration and the period of conditional release, the workers therefore bet on creating a breach in the thought pattern of the perpetrators of conjugal violence to insert tools aimed at breaking the cycle violence.
A necessity, according to Judith Deslauriers, because “even if we think it’s terrible, what [les auteurs de violence conjugale] have done, if we leave them to their own devices, we will not solve the problem”.