One in five Australian women – perhaps your workmate, or your neighbour or your friend – knows the humiliation and terror of domestic violence.

And every five days, on average, a woman is killed by her partner.

Jailing the man is the only response to the most vicious cases. Frequently a woman’s only option is to remove herself and her children from the abuser.

But is there another way to tackle domestic violence? Is it possible for violent men to unlearn their behaviour?

Across Australia hundreds of men are now fronting new voluntary programs which are claiming modest success in changing their ways. The men are challenged to own up to their abuse and its dire impact on their families, then to find better ways to communicate and modify their controlling behaviour.

Four Corners films three men – each at a different stage on the scale of abuse – over six months as they enter voluntary programs in a bid to remake themselves and save their relationships…