NCJ Number
121176
Date Published
1989
Length
32 pages
Annotation
In 1978, the Michigan State Legislature passed several progressive bills dealing with the treatment of domestic violence as a serious crime.
Abstract
One of the laws enacted authorized police officers to make a warrantless arrest for a misdemeanor assault on reasonable suspicion alone. Other laws provide for abuse injunctions that can be obtained by a victim in an effort to prevent recurring violence. Any assailant who violates the injunction is subject to a warrantless arrest as stipulated in the law. Additionally, police officers called to the scene of a domestic violence assault must inform the victim of services available in the community. In addition to laws that improve the ability of the police and judicial systems to respond to the problem of domestic violence, the State Legislature created the Domestic Violence Prevention and Treatment Board (DVPTB) through the enactment of Public Act No. 389 of 1978. The DVPTB is a Governor appointed body to fund and monitor domestic violence shelter programs. The Board also supports a domestic violence resource library, and a 24-hour toll-free hotline which provides referral and State domestic violence services. This booklet provides factual information on domestic violence for battered women, those who work with them, and for criminal justice personnel whose work brings them into regular contact with family members affected by domestic violence.