ILLINOIS - REPORT ON TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROJECT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SURVEY

• NCJ Number: 59151
• Author(s): L E DAY
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 13 pages
• Corporate Author: IllinoisCriminal Justice Information Authority
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

SERVING AS A GUIDE TO FURTHER RESEARCH RATHER THAN AS AN INFORMATIVE STUDY, THIS SURVEY ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE EXPLORES HOW POLICE IN ILLINOIS HANDLE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CALLS.

Abstract

OF THE 780 LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS CONTACTED, 191 RESPONDED (24.5 PERCENT). OF THE 99 SHERIFFS' OFFICES WHO RECEIVED THE QUESTIONNAIRE, 33 RESPONDED (33.3 PERCENT), FOR AN OVERALL RATE OF 25.5 PERCENT. DUE TO THIS POOR LEVEL OF RESPONSE, APPLICABILITY OF THE SURVEY'S FINDINGS IS LIMITED. IN ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS WHICH MEASURED THE OVERALL EMPHASIS AN AGENCY PLACES ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CALLS, ONLY 14 PERCENT OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENTS AND 6 PERCENT OF SHERIFFS' OFFICES DEVELOPED A WRITTEN POLICY TO HANDLE THESE CALLS; ROUGHLY HALF OF BOTH AGENCIES GAVE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CALLS TOP PRIORITY, WITH NO AGENCIES GIVING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE LOW PRIORITY; AND THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF BOTH GROUPS PROVIDED THE SAME AMOUNT OF ATTENTION TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AS TO OTHER PHYSICAL INJURY CASES. THE SMALL NUMBER OF AGENCIES THAT HAVE ESTABLISHED WRITTEN POLICIES REPRESENTS A POSSIBLE VOID IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE ADMINISTRATION WHICH SHOULD BE ADDRESSED. IN ADDITION, THE MOST FREQUENTLY REPORTED METHOD FOR HANDLING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CALLS (OF THE SIX POSSIBLE ACTIONS ON THE QUESTIONNAIRE) WAS THE RESTORATION OF ORDER, ALONG WITH THE SEPARATION OF PARTIES WITHOUT ARREST AND REFERRAL TO A COUNSELING FACILITY AS COMMON DISPOSITIONS. ONE OF THE MOST STRIKING FINDINGS OF THE STUDY WAS THE SMALL NUMBER OF AGENCIES THAT KEEP RECORDS PERTAINING TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE; ONLY ONE-THIRD OF POLICE DEPARTMENTS AND ONE-THIRD OF SHERIFFS' OFFICES RESPONDING TO THE SURVEY EVEN KEPT SUCH RECORDS. FINALLY, THE DESIGN OF QUESTIONS DEALING WITH SPECIALIZED TRAINING PREVENTED ANY TYPE OF ANALYSIS CONCERNING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS TRAINING, AND THE NUMBER OF CONFLICTING ANSWERS PREVENTED ANY CONCLUSIONS ABOUT THE NUMBER OF AGENCIES THAT RECEIVE THIS TRAINING. FURTHER RESEARCH IS RECOMMENDED. THE QUESTIONNAIRE IS APPENDED, AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY IS INCLUDED. (WJR)