NCJ Number
153342
Date Published
1994
Length
53 pages
Annotation
This report presents the history of the Massachusetts Registry of Civil Restraining Orders, which was designed to provide police and the courts with accurate and reliable information necessary to respond appropriately to victims of domestic violence.
Abstract
The authorizing legislation required the Commissioner of Probation to develop and implement a statewide domestic violence record-keeping system that would include a computerized record of the issuance or violation of any protective, restraining, or abuse prevention order. All information contained in this system, as well as all existing information contained in the criminal record information system, shall be made available to the judges. The judges are directed to search and review the data contained in these systems to determine whether the defendant has a civil or criminal record of domestic violence. Further, all information in the civil registry shall be made available statewide to all law enforcement agencies through the Criminal Justice Information Systems maintained by the Executive Office of Public Safety under the direction of the Director of the Criminal History Systems Board. Following a history of the development and implementation of the registry, this report presents the results of the evaluation of the registry's impact. The report concludes that the registry has enhanced the administration of justice in Massachusetts. All target groups have benefited from the new system. In addition to its immediate impact, the registry has opened new avenues for future advancement. Data and preliminary findings from the registry's operation from July 1, 1993, through June 30, 1994, are provided, along with the methodology and findings of studies on the profiles of men who batter and young adolescent batterers, based on the data of the Restraining Order Database. Tables and 12 references