NCJ Number
92110
Journal
Journal of Police Science and Administration Volume: 11 Issue: 4 Dated: (December 1983) Pages: 451-456
Date Published
1983
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This analysis suggests that the downward trend in Oregon's domestic homicide rates observed since 1977 is related to implementation of its Abuse Prevention Act which demanded criminal justice intervention in behaviors that had been considered a civil matter requiring little or no police intervention.
Abstract
Legal precedents historically have sanctioned a man's right to use violence against his wife, but increased public attention to domestic violence in the 1970's resulted in several States revising their laws. A straightforward comparison of domestic violence before and after 1977 when Oregon passed its Abuse Prevention Act is not possible because police do not classify assaults as domestic or nondomestic. However, data collected by the State on homicides since 1975 include circumstances under which the incidents occurred, and thus they can be divided into domestic versus nondomestic homicides. Of the 811 homicides that occurred in Oregon between 1975 and 1981, 23 percent were categorized as domestic homicides. In the pre-1977 period, 29 percent were domestic homicides compared to 19 percent in the post-1977 period. This post-1977 decrease is statistically significant at the .01 level. Finally, all homicide categories except domestic homicides have increased since 1977. Arguments supporting the law's positive impact are strengthened by domestic homicides decreasing even under conditions of economic strain and a 1979 survey which indicated that the Abuse Prevention Act had not been implemented by one-third of the State's law enforcement agencies. Tables, graphs, and 14 references are included.