NCJ Number
216558
Journal
Journal of Family Violence Volume: 21 Issue: 4 Dated: May 2006 Pages: 271-279
Date Published
May 2006
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This study identified and analyzed domestic violence victims' choices of law enforcement assistance in stopping the violence and/or services from the regional family violence center.
Abstract
The findings were consistent with the published literature in showing a significant underuse of social services by minority victims of domestic violence. When given an option of an active law enforcement assistance program and a full range of services from a family violence center, African-American victims of domestic violence most often selected the law enforcement option. Even when African-American victims elected to use the services of the family violence center, the service selected was frequently advocacy support in obtaining restraining orders. Euro-American domestic-violence victims, on the other hand, most often used outpatient counseling services as a source of support; they used advocacy in obtaining restraining orders less frequently. Since research has shown that a coordinated system of community response that involves both social services and law enforcement is most effective in helping victims of domestic violence, it is important that communities analyze why domestic-violence victims, particularly African-Americans, are not choosing to use the full range of services available to them. Data sources were a regional family violence center (n=258) and a metropolitan police department in a city of approximately 200,000 residents (n=127). The family violence center provided five types of services: outpatient counseling, shelter services, transitional housing, and two types of legal advocacy services (obtaining restraining orders and court support). Victim characteristics were examined in relation to the types of services chosen. 5 tables and 32 references