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Practical Implications of Current Domestic Violence Research: For Law Enforcement, Prosecutors and Judges

Published April 2009

Table of Contents

• Preface
• Chapter 1: Overview of Domestic Violence
  • 1-1. How widespread is nonfatal domestic violence?
  • 1-2. What percentage of calls to police are to report domestic violence?
  • 1-3. What time of day does domestic violence occur?
  • 1-4. How widespread is stalking?
  • 1-5. How widespread are sexual assaults of intimate partners?
  • 1-6. How widespread is fatal domestic violence?
  • 1-7. How widespread are multiple forms of domestic violence against the same victims?
• Chapter 2: Reporting and Arrests
  • 2-1. To what extent is domestic violence reported to law enforcement and what percentage actually reaches the courts?
  • 2-2. At what point do victims report domestic violence?
  • 2-3. Which victims are likely to report domestic violence?
  • 2-4. Does the quality of the law enforcement response influence whether domestic violence is reported?
  • 2-5. Who else reports domestic violence?
  • 2-6. Are there are other major sources for reports of domestic violence?
  • 2-7. What kinds of domestic violence are generally reported to law enforcement and are prosecuted?
  • 2-8. Do arrest rates correspond to actual rates of domestic violence and stalking based on victim surveys?
  • 2-9. Do stalking arrests correspond to actual stalking rates as reported by victims?
  • 2-10. Is arrest the best response?
  • 2-11. What should law enforcement’s response be if the suspect is gone when they arrive?
  • 2-12. Who is the primary/predominant aggressor?
• Chapter 3: Perpetrator Characteristics
  • 3-1. What is their gender?
  • 3-2. What age are they?
  • 3-3. Are they likely to be known to law enforcement already?
  • 3-4. Are they likely to be drug and/or alcohol abusers?
  • 3-5. Are they likely to be mentally ill or have certain personality traits?
  • 3-6. Do abusers stick with one victim?
  • 3-7. How many abusers are likely to do it again?
  • 3-8. Are abusers at risk for committing new nondomestic violence crimes?
  • 3-9. When are abusers likely to reabuse?
  • 3-10. Which abusers are likely to do it again in the short term?
  • 3-11. Is gender an important risk factor?
  • 3-12. Is age an important risk factor?
  • 3-13. Is prior arrest history an important risk factor?
  • 3-14. Is substance abuse an important risk factor?
  • 3-15. Are victims accurate predictors of reabuse?
  • 3-16. Are there other common risk factors associated with reabuse?
  • 3-17. What factors are not associated with reabuse?
  • 3-18. Do the widely used risk instruments accurately predict reabuse?
  • 3-19. Which abusers are most likely to try to kill their victims?
  • 3-20. How critical is the presence of firearms and other weapons?
  • 3-21. What are other lethality risk markers?
  • 3-22. What are the risk markers for severe injury?
• Chapter 4: Victim Characteristics
  • 4-1. Are victim characteristics and actions important factors in assessing the likelihood of abuse?
  • 4-2. To what extent do victims engage in alcohol and drug abuse?
  • 4-3. Why do some victims behave as they do?
  • 4-4. Do male domestic violence victims differ from female victims?
• Chapter 5: Law Enforcement Responses
  • 5-1. Are specialized law enforcement domestic violence units effective in responding to domestic violence?
  • 5-2. Do they influence prosecutions and convictions of abuse suspects?
  • 5-3. Do they influence victim behavior?
  • 5-4. Do they reduce reabuse?
  • 5-5. Do they increase victim satisfaction?
  • 5-6. Should law enforcement agencies participate in coordinated community responses?
  • 5-7. Does police domestic violence training improve law enforcement responses to victims?
• Chapter 6: Prosecution Responses
  • 6-1. What is the current level of domestic violence prosecution across the country?
  • 6-2. Can most domestic violence arrest cases be successfully prosecuted in court?
  • 6-3. Will aggressive prosecutions or sentences increase the demand for trials?
  • 6-4. Do victims want their abusers prosecuted?
  • 6-5. Why do a minority of victims oppose prosecution?
  • 6-6. Is victim fear of prosecution well founded?
  • 6-7. Can prosecutors increase victim cooperation?
  • 6-8. Should prosecutors follow victim preferences when prosecuting offenders?
  • 6-9. What evidence is typically available to prosecute domestic violence cases?
  • 6-10. Can cases be successfully prosecuted without the victim?
  • 6-11. Can successful prosecutions be increased?
  • 6-12. What does adoption of no-drop policies actually mean?
  • 6-13. What kind of dispositions do most suspects receive?
  • 6-14. Does prosecuting domestic violence offenders deter reabuse?
  • 6-15. When does sentencing of domestic violence defendants not necessarily prevent reabuse?
  • 6-16. Are defendants who don’t show up in court more at risk for reabusing than those who do?
  • 6-17. Can "first" offenders be safely diverted or discharged?
  • 6-18. Do specialized prosecution units work?
  • 6-19. What characterizes specialized prosecution units?
• Chapter 7: Judicial Responses
  • 7-1. Does sentencing domestic violence offenders deter reabuse?
  • 7-2. Should judges follow victim preferences when determining sentences?
  • 7-3. What should the response be when the suspect is brought in on an arrest or court-default warrant?
  • 7-4. What are current abuser sentencing practices?
  • 7-5. What accounts for dispositions?
  • 7-6. Are defendants who don’t show up in court more at risk for reabusing than those who do?
  • 7-7. Can "first" offenders be safely diverted or discharged?
  • 7-8. Who obtains civil protective orders?
  • 7-9. When and why do victims ask for orders?
  • 7-10. How many abusers violate court protective orders?
  • 7-11. Do protective orders work?
  • 7-12. Does judicial demeanor make a difference?
  • 7-13. Do specialized domestic violence courts work?
  • 7-14. What makes specialized domestic violence courts different?
  • 7-15. Do enhanced domestic violence dispositions require enhanced postdisposition court time and resources?
  • 7-16. Does the type of postdispositional monitoring matter?
  • 7-17. Does probation supervision of abusers reduce the likelihood of reabuse?
• Chapter 8: Intervention Programs
  • 8-1. Do batterer intervention programs prevent reabuse?
  • 8-2. Does the type or length of batterer intervention program make a difference?
  • 8-3. Do couples counseling or anger management treatment programs prevent reabuse?
  • 8-4. Does alcohol and drug treatment prevent reabuse?
  • 8-5. Are court-referred batterers likely to complete batterer programs?
  • 8-6. Do those who complete batterer program do better than those who fail?
  • 8-7. Can court monitoring enhance batterer intervention program attendance?
  • 8-8. Which batterers are likely to fail to attend mandated batterer intervention treatment?
  • 8-9. When are noncompliant abusers likely to drop out of batterer intervention programs?
  • 8-10. What should the prosecutor’s response be if court-referred abusers are noncompliant with programs?
  • 8-11. What should the judge’s response be if court-referred abusers are noncompliant with programs?
  • 8-12. What should the prosecutor's or judge’s response be to abusers who reoffend while enrolled or after completing a batterer intervention program?
  • 8-13. What effect do batterer program referrals have on victims?