NCJ Number
211125
Journal
Criminology Volume: 43 Issue: 3 Dated: August 2005 Pages: 563-588
Date Published
August 2005
Length
26 pages
Annotation
This study used the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) to examine whether domestic violence is less likely to recur if it is reported to the police and if the offender is arrested.
Abstract
The NCVS data were for the years 1992 to 2002. Because respondents were interviewed six times over the course of a 3-year interview cycle, the data permit an analysis of multiple assaults that involve the same offender and victim based on the construction of a longitudinal file. The study examined the characteristics of assaults that occurred early in the interview cycle (intervention incident) and determined whether the victim was assaulted later in the cycle by the same offender (repeat incident). The sample included 2,564 respondents who were victimized by their spouses, ex-spouses, or other intimate partners. NCVS questions also determined whether an incident was reported to the police and whether the offender was arrested. The findings indicate that approximately 17 percent of domestic violence incidents were repeated within the period of the survey. More than half of the "intervention incidents" were reported to the police, primarily by victims. Approximately 40 percent of the reported incidents resulted in an arrest. The longitudinal analyses indicate that reporting had a fairly strong deterrent effect regarding repeat assault; however, the effect of arrest was small and statistically insignificant. There was no support for the hypothesis that offenders would retaliate against victims if victims called the police or signed complaints. Neither was there evidence that the effects of reporting or arrest depended on the seriousness of the offense, the offender's history of violence, or sociodemographic characteristics. The findings thus support the deterrent effect of reporting domestic violence to the police. 5 tables and 51 references