The authors first introduce general issues that pertain to the prosecution of wife assault and then describe the process of prosecution, its key players, and its salient problems. This established a context for evaluating and interpreting policy effects. Then, the role of the prosecutor in implementing protective policies is examined, followed by a review of key issues and problems relevant to policies for prosecuting those who assault their wives. Findings from evaluations of prosecution policies are then presented. A discussion of policy implications concludes that the limited evidence on the effectiveness of alternative prosecution policies for preventing wife assault suggests that no single policy commonly advocated is any better than another. The chance of a man assaulting his partner again over the short term is unaffected by whether he is prosecuted under policies that call for harsh punishment or for rehabilitative treatment. What matters is that he faces prosecution. The evaluation of the Indianapolis experiment, however, provides the surprising finding that, contrary to popular advocacy, permitting victims to drop charges significantly reduces their risk of further violence after a suspect has been arrested on a victim-initiated warrant, when compared with usual policies. Apparently, under a "drop-permitted" policy, women are empowered to take control of events in their relationship. 6 tables, 3 notes, and 76 references