NCJ Number
223713
Journal
Violence Against Women Volume: 14 Issue: 6 Dated: June 2008 Pages: 697-714
Date Published
June 2008
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This study measured the level of police involvement in cases of violence against women in Spain.
Abstract
The study indicates that the effects of perceived severity and personal responsibility were found only at the highest level of police involvement. For low and medium levels of involvement, no differences in perceived severity and personal responsibility of police officers were found. The influence of perceived severity and sense of personal responsibility of police officers on their level of involvement in cases of intimate partner violence against women was analyzed, with the three levels of police involvement considered low, medium, and high. The study yielded some interesting results about the influence of perceived severity and personal responsibility of police officers on their level of involvement in cases of intimate partner violence against women. The work also indicated that police training should be considered as an important factor which could mitigate differences in the consistency and uniformity of police responses. The sample consisted of 143 Spanish police officers, 115 men and 28 women. The study was carried out in a large metropolitan area, Valencia, Spain, with a population of over 1 million. Data were gathered from questionnaires administered collectively in one session, and a factorial design was conducted to test hypotheses. Tables, figures, appendix, notes and references