NCJ Number: 161520
Title: Does Arrest Deter Domestic Violence? (From Do Arrests and Restraining Orders Work? P 43-53, 1996, Eve S and Carl G Buzawa, eds. -- See NCJ-161517)
Author(s): J D Schmidt; L W Sherman
Date Published: 1996
Page Count: 11
Sponsoring Agency: Sage Publications, Inc
Sale Source: Sage Publications, Inc
Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
Language: English
Country: United States of America
Annotation: Research in six cities testing the "arrest works best" premise in deterring future domestic violence has produced complex and conflicting results; police departments and policymakers should recognize that arrest may help some victims at the expense of others and that arrest may assist the victim in the short term but facilitate further violence in the long term.
Abstract: What is known about the impact of police arrest policies relative to domestic violence is that most cases brought to police attention involve lower income and minority group households. Findings from research in six cities (Minneapolis, Omaha, Charlotte, Milwaukee, Colorado Springs, and Miami) show both deterrent and backfiring effects of arrest. Arrest cured some abusers but made others worse; arrest eased the pain for victims of employed abusers but increased it for those with unemployed partners; and arrest assisted white and Hispanic victims but fell short of deterring further violence among black victims. The authors conclude that arrest has a differential effect on suspects from different household types, that arrest reduces domestic violence in some cities but increases it in others, and that arrest reduces domestic violence among employed people but increases it among unemployed people. In addition, the authors indicate that police can predict which couples are most likely to suffer future violence, even though society values privacy too highly to encourage preventive action. Policy recommendations are offered that focus on repealing mandatory arrest laws, substituting structured police discretion, allowing warrantless arrests, encouraging the issuance of arrest warrants for absent offenders, and focusing on chronically violent couples. 1 reference and 1 table
Main Term(s): Victims of violent crime
Index Term(s): Abused women; Abusing spouses; Arrest and apprehension; Arrest procedures; Colorado; Criminal justice system effectiveness; Domestic assault prevention; Female victims; Florida; Minnesota; Nebraska; North Carolina; Police effectiveness; Police policies and procedures; Violent men; Violent offenders; Wisconsin
To cite this abstract, use the following link: http://www.ncjrs.gov/App/publications/abstract.aspx?ID=161520
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