Public Preferences for the Court's Handling of Domestic Violence Situations

• NCJ Number: 157470
• Journal: Crime and Delinquency Volume: 41 Issue: 4 Dated: special issue (October 1995) Pages: 399-413
• Author(s): L J Stalans; A J Lurigio
• Date Published: 1995
• Length: 15 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined public opinion about court dispositions in domestic violence cases.

Abstract

Adult residents in Georgia, drawn from the jury pool of the Fulton County Court (n=260) participated in the study. The sample consisted of 58.2 percent women, 40.2 percent African Americans, and 56.6 percent Caucasian, ranging in age from 19 to 90 years. Participants responded to short scenarios that involved their spouses and intimate partners. The scenarios varied on three factors: the intention to do harm, the presence of injury, and a history of injury in previous domestic disputes. Findings show that compared to men, women preferred restraining orders and guilty verdicts, with counseling and jail time for the perpetrator. Both women and men expressed strong preferences for court-ordered mediation programs. Simple stereotypical notions of women as more concerned about relational harmony cannot account for these findings. Most women wanted the court to protect them, to hold their partners accountable, and to treat as well as punish their partners. Women who imagined scenarios that involved past or current violence differed on why they preferred court mediation, according to their relationship status. Women with young children desired mediation more when they loved their partners and wanted to maintain harmony in their relationship; whereas women without children wanted mediation more to maintain their status in the community. Men were less likely to seek protection orders or to prefer spousal accountability, and they preferred mediation in situations that involved physical injuries, because they thought mediation would favor their position over their partners' position. Men seem to seek control over their problems. Victims, compared to nonvictims, preferred guilty verdicts and restraining orders for unintentional acts and for situations that involved no past history of violence, because they had learned that first-time and so-called unintentional acts of violence are soon repeated. These findings have policy implications regarding the measurement and role of public opinions about domestic violence. 4 notes, 5 tables, and 17 references