NCJ Number
218669
Journal
Journal of Family Violence Volume: 22 Issue: 3 Dated: April 2007 Pages: 113-119
Date Published
April 2007
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This study examined the characteristics of alleged domestic violence abusers in a Protection from Abuse Order (PFA) in Sedgwick County, KS.
Abstract
The analysis revealed that in this sample of accused abusers a significant number of past criminal arrests were found suggesting the need for better screening of batterers and additional or enhanced treatment strategies. The study raised the issue of the effectiveness of protection from abuse orders (PFAs). In this sample, abusers who had all been served with PFAs had an extensive history of criminal arrests reinforcing prior research that found that abusers with a history of prior arrests were more likely to reoffend. An additional finding of the study was that the race of offenders seemed to be fairly represented when compared to the demographics of this community with the exception of African-Americans. One of many tools in protecting battered women is protection from abuse orders which provide legal protection from abuse. However, many abusers violate these court orders. This study described the characteristics of 1,873 defendants who have been accused of domestic abuse in a PFA order that had been issued by the court in Sedgwick County, KS. Tables, references