NCJ Number
138152
Journal
Social Service Review Dated: (June 1991) Pages: 304-313
Date Published
1991
Length
10 pages
Annotation
A systematic random sample of 586 case records dating from 1907 to 1945 was drawn from a larger collection of about 35,000 cases in Minnesota in order to examine social workers' intervention in the abuse of women.
Abstract
Case records contained worker case notes, official documents, correspondence, newspaper clippings, and other written materials. Of the 586 case records, 98 (17 percent) that involved battering were analyzed in detail. Case records inconsistently recorded demographic characteristics of clients. The men for whom data were available averaged 34 years of age. Most men were white, and almost all worked as skilled or unskilled laborers. On average, women were 30 years old, mostly white, and housewives. Contrary to common assumptions, social workers in the early part of the century frequently recorded detailed accounts of woman abuse and engaged a range of criminal justice professionals to aid battered women. Social workers found that women's fears of being killed by their husbands were often rational. In more than two-thirds of the cases, social workers provided such tangible services as arranging health services, housing, and employment. The role of legal advocate was central to the social worker's intervention in several cases. Caseworker notes contained limited information on the effectiveness of interventions. Where this information was available, intervention outcomes tended to vary. In some cases, charges against the man were dropped, restraining orders were not enforced, and violence continued even though severe and repeated legal sanctions were implemented. In other cases, violence seemed to disappear following intervention efforts. 33 notes