Promotora Toña Sanchez discusses accepting responsibility with HAPA men.
Promotora Toña Sanchez discusses accepting responsibility with HAPA men.
HAPA is a small group intervention program for Hispanic men, most of whom have been referred from the courts for crimes of domestic violence. From time to time a woman is referred to HAPA for individual Counseling sessions.
HAPA's mission is to identify and end all types of controlling behaviors that cause physical, psychological, and sexual violence in domestic relationships. The goals of the intervention are to have our clients be accountable for their behavior; to change their attitudes toward power and control in relationships; to understand the effects of abuse on their families as well as themselves; to learn the skills necessary to build relationships based on trust; and to help their families heal from the effects of past violence.
HAPA is certified by the Department of Social and Health Services of the State of Washington. It follows a well-planned curriculum in a group setting. The HAPA program consists of 24 weekly group sessions, in which specific issues are examined and discussed; the completion of a required diary of actions, attitudes, and interactions; and the writing of a culminating "letter of accountability." Successful completion requires full participation; attendance at all of the 24 weekly sessions, with no more than 2 absences whether excused or not; satisfactory completion of the letter of accountability, and a subjective evaluation. State law requires an additional six monthly sessions.
To our knowledge, there are only 4 domestic violence perpetrator intervention programs specifically for Hispanic men in Oregon. HAPA was adapted and modified for the Hispanic/Latino culture from a successful intervention program for Anglos directed by Paul Woolery, M.A. Since its inception, Mr. Woolery has served as the clinical supervisor for this project, meeting monthly with the facilitators to review cases and procedures.
HAPA is strongly endorsed by those who have gone through the program, as well
as by the courts, the prosecution, the defense bar, and the victim's advocates
in this region. As Oregon Presiding Circuit Court Judge Paul G. Crowley has
said, "Prior to the creation of HAPA…the criminal justice system had
no adequate means of addressing domestic violence in the Hispanic community."
Traditional approaches to domestic violence did not begin to address the root
problem (attitudes of male privilege and the oppression of women), and particularly
with the dependence of immigrant women on their partners, did not protect either
women or children from further violence. In the Hispanic community, domestic
violence is often considered a matter of shame to be hidden from outsiders.
Breaking up families under these circumstances is neither desirable nor feasible,
for cultural, economic and psychological reasons. Therefore, a successful intervention
program is essential to protect families in the Hispanic community. And as Hood
River County District Attorney John Sewell points out, it saves the county thousands
of dollars.
As part of the intervention, we collect an evaluation and assessment fee of
$50.00 per person, and charge $25.00 for each two-hour group session. That is
the maximum our Board believes to be compatible with the limited and seasonal
incomes of our clients. However, for a variety of reasons including attrition,
lack of income (the Mid-Columbia Economic Development Council estimates local
annual per capita farmworker income to be less than $12,000), and lack of year-round
employment, we are able to collect only about 2/3 of the gross fees payable.
The result is that annual fees, which at best would cover slightly less than
two-thirds of our annual costs, in reality cover only about one-half of the
cost to conduct the program. For example, it cost approximately $857.00 per
participant to provide HAPA services for 19 men and one woman in 2000. Yet we
actually collected only $444.50 per participant in fees. Therefore, we depend
on the financial support of our local communities to keep HAPA going. We receive
generous allocations from Hood River County United Way, Mid-Columbia United
Way, Klickitat/Skamania United Way, and the Hood River Lions Club Foundation.
It is difficult to quantify the benefits of a program of this sort. However,
letters of support from prosecutors, defense attorneys and victims' advocates
indicate that many thousands of dollars in prosecution, defense, and court costs
are saved annually in Hood River and Wasco Counties through the availability
of HAPA. Even more importantly, and more difficult to quantify, are the avoidance
of medical and welfare costs and the value of families preserved and lives changed.
With the assistance of local prosecutors, we conduct an annual record search of all persons who have successfully completed HAPA in the preceding 3 years. Of all 20 Hood River County residents who had done so, only one had re-offended. A similar search in Wasco County yielded similar results.
In the final analysis, it is Hispanic families and the general community that most benefit from HAPA - a program from which graduates effectively do not re-offend.