Comparing Women and Men Arrested for Domestic Violence: A Preliminary Report

• NCJ Number: 206299
• Journal: Journal of Family Violence Volume: 19 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2004 Pages: 49-57
• Author(s): Amy L. Busch; Mindy S. Rosenberg
• Date Published: February 2004
• Length: 9 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study compared 45 women and 45 men convicted of domestic violence between 1996 and 1998 on their levels of violence, reported victimization, general criminality, and substance abuse.

Abstract

Participants were mandated to attend treatment as part of a Northern California probation program. Ninety percent of the participants had been convicted of a misdemeanor offense, and 10 percent had been convicted of a felony offense. The following data were obtained from each participant's probation file: demographic data; frequency of domestic violence offenses; severity of domestic violence; reported victimization (assessment of whether the participant evidenced being abused or victimized during the incident at issue); criminality; and substance abuse. As predicted, women were less likely than the men to have a history of domestic violence offenses. Still, a substantial minority of women (almost one-third) had been arrested previously for a partner assault. Most of the men and women (approximately 90 percent) committed severe violence against their partners. Twenty-four percent of women compared to 7 percent of men reported or showed evidence to the police that they had been abused by the identified victim when they were arrested. Regarding criminality, men were more likely than women to have committed at least one prior nonviolent crime outside the home; however, there was no significant difference between the men and women in rates of prior violence outside the home. The majority of women had some type of criminal record. Unexpectedly, women were equally likely as men to evidence substance abuse problems. Given that the women were apparently often involved in violent defensive actions to prevent their victims from injuring them, their treatment should include a focus on their victimization and provision for leaving and avoiding abusive relationships. Study limitations are discussed. 2 tables and 27 references