NCJ Number
225224
Journal
Violence Against Women Volume: 14 Issue: 12 Dated: December 2008 Pages: 1430-1450
Date Published
December 2008
Length
21 pages
Annotation
The purpose of this study was to examine demographic and intimate partner violence (IPV) incident factors that might be associated with engagement in a domestic violence intervention program developed at the Yale University Child Study Center, the Domestic Violence Home Visit Intervention program
Abstract
Study findings revealed that the severity of intimate partner violence (IPV) charges and ethnicity of the victim, advocate, and police officer were all significantly related to engagement in the Domestic Violence Home Visit Intervention (DVHVI) program, with Hispanic women served by Hispanic advocate-officer teams more engaged in services than African-American or Caucasian women. Data suggests that the intervention model may be particularly beneficial for Hispanic victims of IPV when implemented by a Spanish-speaking officer-advocate team. The DVHVI was developed in 2000. The cornerstone of the DVHVI is a neighborhood-based home visit follow-up project staffed by teams of patrol officers and clinically informed domestic violence advocates. The project was intended to bring together police officers, who have essential knowledge of available criminal justice remedies and the communities where victims live, with additional resources for addressing legal, practical, and psychological issues. Because the DVHVI encompasses both enhanced law enforcement and outreach advocacy, it is important to examine the available research on IPV victims’ use and feelings about police and social service interventions in cases of domestic violence to help understand possible factors related to victims’ engagement in the intervention. This study examined factors related to engagement in the services offered by police officer-advocate teams on the basis of police and clinical records for 301 female victims referred to the DVHVI program. Tables and references