NCJ Number: 179277

Title: Influence of Alcohol and Drugs on Women's Utilization of the Police for Domestic Violence
 
Author: Ira W. Hutchison
 
Sponsor: US Dept of Justice National Institute of Justice
 
Sale: National Institute of Justice/NCJRS Box 6000
Rockville, MD 20849

National Institute of Justice/NCJRS Paper Reproduction Sales
Box 6000 Department F
Rockville, MD 20849

 
Publication
Date:
06/1999
 
Pages: 113
 
Type: Applied research
 
Format: Noncommercial publications document
 
Origin: United States
 
Language: English
 
Grant No.: 97-IJ-CX-0047
 
Annotation: This study used data from interviews of 419 women who were involved in a misdemeanor-level incident of domestic assault for which the police had received a call from the victim or another person to determine if calling the police for these incidents was influenced by drug abuse of either the abusers or the victims.
 
Abstract: The research was conducted in Charlotte, N.C., and also used data from police reports about these incidents. Substance use was measured with respect to the general pattern of alcohol consumption, the frequency of drinking, subjective perceptions of the offender's having a problem with alcohol or drugs, and frequency and type of drug abuse. Results revealed that alcohol or drug use by male abusers was related to calls to police; however, substance use by female victims was not related to calls to police. Offender drunkenness, rather than the absolute quantity or frequency of alcohol consumption, escalated police use by abused women; this factor was the most consistent predictor of a call to the police. The frequency of calling the police over the length of the relationship was significantly associated with offender drunkenness, marijuana use, the frequency of threats to the victim and hitting the victim, and race. A majority of women reported that their partners were either drinking or drunk at the time of the presenting incident. Tables, figures, footnotes, and 86 references
 
Main Terms: Police crisis intervention
 
Index Terms: Drug related crimes; Citizen crime reporting; Abused women; Protective custody; Alcohol-crime relationship; Female victims; Police domestic violence training; North Carolina




The NIJ Research Review: NCJ Number 179277