NCJ Number
101441
Journal
Canadian Journal of Criminology Volume: 28 Issue: 2 Dated: (April 1986) Pages: 171-183
Date Published
1986
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This study examined the legal and public response to the Manitoba attorney general's 1983 directive requiring police to lay charges in all reported cases of spouse abuse where the police have reasonable and probable cause to believe an assault occurred.
Abstract
The analysis of the legal response was based on a study of reported and charged wife abuse cases in Manitoba in 1983. Major data sources were the 1983 spouse abuse statistics, a study of the first 373 completed wife abuse cases in 1983, 'car sheet calls' labeled 'domestic' for a 6-month period, and police quarterly reports. Analysis of the public response was based on the 1984 Winnipeg Area Study, which used a random sample of 741 households and acquired 575 completed questionnaires. The questionnaire contained questions on wife abuse and the new directive. Data indicate that the attrition rate for the judicial processing of wife abuse cases did not differ substantially from other assault crimes, so the new directive apparently did not create any legal anomaly that would involve the inappropriate use of the courts. Public respondents tended to rate wife abuse as a serious crime, and 85 percent agreed with the new directive. Tabular data and 24 references.