A man, convicted of domestic violence, sat in a batterer intervention program and cried. He had a breakthrough and recounted the abuse he suffered as a child. He told the group a story about how he and his little brother had planned to kill their father to end the abuse. He cried because he was ashamed that he was not able to go through with it and protect his little brother. Violence is a cycle—a cycle that must be broken.

Last year, there were 166,890 domestic violence-related calls for assistance in California. This number does not include the countless additional instances of domestic violence that went unreported. We know that domestic violence is a problem in our society. We also know that the impacts of domestic violence are far reaching and long lasting. Between these statistics and the personal story shared recently at CSAC’s Domestic Violence Symposium, I feel fortunate to work on a pilot project that will help to end the cycle of domestic violence.