There's no such thing as monsters

This series is about getting out of domestic violence, from the perpetrators point of view. It examines the self-reflection process that the perpetrators engage in while serving their sentences.

There’s no such thing as monsters is about getting out of domestic violence, from the perpetrators point of view. This series is made up of portraits and testimonies, as well as images illustrating the emotions evoked by the inmates.

The French Ministry of Interior estimates that 295,000 people were physically or sexually abused in relationships between 2011 and 2018. Moreover, 213,000 individuals, or 72%, were female. These figures may indicate that most perpetrators are male. 

The key to preventing repeated offences lies in breaking the violence cycle and examining it from both sides. We must protect victims while addressing their aggressors. Abusive partners are often well-integrated individuals, not monsters living on society’s margins. Although the gears that drive abuse are complex, it’s our responsibility as a society to face our violence. 

As the offenders face their culpability and come to terms with their wrongdoings, they contribute to preventing the crimes they were convicted of. The perpetrators’ perspectives and actions make us reflect on our world’s brutality and injustice. 

Thanks to the prison administration’s support, I met volunteers serving their sentences in prison or awaiting trial in detention centres. I questioned why they thought they were there, their techniques for reflecting on their actions, and what coping mechanisms they practice to avoid reoffending. 

The colourful emotions expressed by the perpetrators during our interviews punctuated their testimonies and portraits. 

This body of work examines the self-reflection process that the perpetrators engage in while serving their sentences. It does not defend, excuse, or diminish the acts they have committed. 

The mechanisms that drive domestic abuse are complex but not inevitable. For this to change, we need to look at it head-on. 

«How is it possible for this to happen? What is our collective responsibility to allow this to happen? That’s what we’re talking about. If you like, there’s no such thing as monsters. It’s our society. It’s us. It’s our friends. It’s our fathers. That’s what we have to look at. We are not here to eliminate them. We are here to make them change. But we have to go through a moment where they look at themselves, where we look at ourselves.» 

Adèle Haenel, Médiapart, 04/11/2019.