Short-term policies are those that respond to the immediate crisis and that treat the symptoms or outcomes of violence. These include shelters and other service provisions, crisis intervention, and treatment. The short-term policy suggestions focus on arrest policies, civil protection orders, and prosecutorial and judicial connections. Regarding arrest policies, the task force does not provide unqualified support for mandatory arrest, since this may disproportionately impact minority women and women from lower socioeconomic status who have fewer resources and alternatives to settle relationship conflict by private means and thus must rely on public shelters and hospital emergency rooms. One of the suggestions regarding civil protection orders is to minimize bureaucratic burden so victims will not be discouraged from pursuing orders. Long-term policies address either the root causes for violence against women in our society or the long-term after-care programs for victims to facilitate economic well-being and independence. These include early risk identification, prevention, and education strategies, often designed to be prophylactic and institutionalized prior to any occurrence of violence with the hopes of confronting individual, familial, peer, or social behavior and norms before violence explodes. A "miscellaneous" policy suggestion focuses on violence in gay and lesbian relationships. 42 references