He's doing great and important work, and that's exactly why I must correct misinformation in this column. This is not only wrong, it's a very cruel myth.

"Jon Katcher donated his legal work to get children away from abusers, the best way to prevent them from becoming abusers themselves."

This is a myth. Abusers often tell their victims, lawyers, judges, and therapists that they were abused as a child. It's a manipulation to gain sympathy and forgiveness. 

In one research study (cited in the book "Why Does He Do That?" by Lundy Bancroft) 70% of men convicted of abuse claimed to have been abused as a child. However, after they were told the same question was going to be asked while they were hooked up to a lie detector test, the number fell to 20%. 

Studies found that only between 10% - 30% of male child witnesses choose to become batterers as adults. The 20 point percentage spread is due to the fact that the research depends on the questionable honesty of abusers' childhood stories.