NCJ Number
134355
Journal
Policing and Society Volume: 2 Issue: 2 Dated: (1991) Pages: 117-137
Date Published
1991
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This paper considers the evidence for and against the claim of a deterrence value of arrest in instances of domestic violence, describes the practice of policing as it pertains to domestic violence, and outlines efforts on the part of two domestic violence units to modify the traditional response of police.
Abstract
The blanket application of the linguistic-authority-structure of the policing of interpersonal violence fails to allow for a definition of domestic violence which is sensitive to the perceptions and needs of victims. Some examples of good work are evident in the many domestic violence units established by the London police, but a detailed evaluation of the workings of these units is indicated before any judgment is made as to the efficacy of new policing measures. The objective needs to be a planned social response to domestic violence which changes the conditions that produced the violence initially. To realize this objective, it is necessary to abandon the simplistic notion that arrest equals deterrence. 38 footnotes and 19 references