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Battered Wife's Perception of the Characteristics of Her Encounter With the Police

NCJ Number
182130
Journal
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 44 Issue: 2 Dated: April 2000 Pages: 242-257
Author(s)
Efrat Shoham
Editor(s)
George B. Palermo M.D.
Date Published
April 2000
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This study looked at how women in Israel who sought police help in the wake of violent attacks by their husbands perceived police attitudes during the encounter at the police station and found women generally felt the police did not understand their situation.
Abstract
Because the purpose of the study was to describe encounters between battered wives and police officers from the female point of view, subjects were married women who had complained of violent behavior by their husbands at five police stations in central Israel during 1998. Complaints were initially lodged with the police who later directed complainants to centers for the prevention of family violence. The age of 90 participating female subjects ranged from 21 to 63 years, while the age of the men ranged from 21 to 67 years. They completed a questionnaire in which they were required to supply answers on a Likert-type scale of 1 to 5 on items related to their encounters with the police. Most women lodged a complaint out of feelings of fear and humiliation. They expected to receive some manner of support and protection from the police, but they perceived that the police did not understand their situation. Further, most of the women tended to be suspicious of police motives and felt that police officers sometimes sought revenge or tried to exact some sort of profit. Many wives did not want or expect their encounters with the police to lead to the arrest or charging of their husbands. Rather, they expected the police to make them feel stronger. The active participation of battered women in efforts to prevent family violence is discussed. 21 references and 3 tables

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