Review of Domestic Violence Arrest Statistics in a Police Department Using a Pro-Arrest Policy: Are Pro-Arrest Policies Enough?

• NCJ Number: 149923
• Journal: Journal of Family Violence Volume: 9 Issue: 2 Dated: (June 1994) Pages: 177-189
• Author(s): S Bourg; H V Stock
• Date Published: 1994
• Length: 13 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined domestic assault arrest statistics in a sheriff's department in southern Florida that does not use an organized community approach and provides little police training on domestic assault, although it has had a pro-arrest policy for several years..

Abstract

An analysis of all 1,870 domestic assault reports during 1991 revealed that only 28.8 percent resulted in arrest. Even the most serious charges, aggravated batteries, were more likely to end without an arrest (62.6 percent) than with an arrest (37.4 percent). Although results revealed that more men were identified (88.4 percent) and arrested (91.6 percent) as batterers than women (11.6 percent and 8.4 percent, respectively), closer analyses revealed that arrested women were more often charged with more serious charges (60 percent) than were arrested men (26.0 percent). Finally gender and race data indicated that while 84.6 percent of black females were arrested on felony charges, only 19.5 percent of white males were arrested on the same charge. Findings demonstrated a need for further research on factors that may affected the effectiveness of pro-arrest policies. Tables and 13 references (Author abstract modified)