Victims' Perceptions of Police Response to Domestic Violence Incidents

• NCJ Number: 220342
• Journal: Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 35 Issue: 5 Dated: September/October 2007 Pages: 498-510
• Author(s): Ida M. Johnson
• Date Published: September 2007
• Length: 13 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined victim satisfaction with police response to domestic violence and the effect that a mandatory arrest policy had on a victim’s decision to stay or leave an abusive relationship.

Abstract

The research indicated that the satisfaction of female victims of domestic violence was directly related to the quality of the services provided by the officers who responded to their calls for help. Victims were satisfied when police officers provided information about shelters, other support services, and legal protection, as well as when officers inquired about their injuries, the need for medical attention, or asked after the welfare of their children. Victims were somewhat surprised but satisfied when police provided them with information about what would happen to the abuser once arrested as they did not expect the police to provide this type information during their initial contact. Female victims of domestic violence who perceived the responding officers as being sympathetic, who reported that the responding officers as being sympathetic, who reported that the responding officers explained what options were available to them in dealing with the abuse, and women who felt that the responding officers solicited victims’ input into how they wanted to proceed with the situation expressed the most satisfaction with the police. These victims were the ones who were most likely to call the police again. When victims believe that police officers are engaging in collaborative intervention strategies, victim satisfaction and positive responses to intervention may increase. Data were collected from 130 randomly selected cases processed by a county sheriff’s department domestic violence unit in the State of Alabama over the course of 13 months; 21of the cases involved male victims. All of the victims knew their perpetrator; 48 percent were wives, 10 percent were husbands, 4.6 percent were boyfriends, 4.8 percent were parents, 4.6 percent were sons and daughters, and 3.1 percent were acquaintances (relationship casual but not intimate). Tables, references