NCJ Number
200931
Journal
Journal of Family Violence Volume: 18 Issue: 2 Dated: April 2003 Pages: 121-129
Editor(s)
Vincent B. Van Hasselt,
Michel Hersen
Date Published
April 2003
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This study attempted to identify intimate partner violence (IPV) victims’ perceived barriers to seeking help from the police through conducting focus group sessions.
Abstract
Even though hundreds of thousands of emergency calls for intimate partner violence (IPV) are made to police each year in the United States, many abused women do not contact the police. IPV victims’ police reporting behavior constitutes a major point for the initiation of the criminal justice response to IPV. Those factors involved in promoting IPV victims to avoid contacting police are not understood clearly. In this study, at the initiative of the Seattle Police Department’s Domestic Violence Unit (DVU), five focus group sessions were conducted by the investigators to identify the barriers for women to contacting police for help for IPV. The 5 focus group participants consisted of 41 women who obtained social services in Seattle from local community agencies. The perception that IPV is a personal and private matter was the most common reason women gave for not contacting the police in two previous national crime surveys. Women in this study felt that they must have physical proof of the abuse to warrant calling the police. Women expressed concern that police did not listen to them or trivialized their feelings and situation. Women found that the occurrence of spousal rape and its concomitant humiliation and embarrassment were a barrier to contacting police. Study findings have far reaching implications for police, as well as social services, and public education. There needs to be continued development and testing of interventions and policy changes. References