Strategy for Teaching Domestic Violence Intervention to the Police - Issues and Experiences (From Battered Women and Their Families, P 193-203, 1984, Albert R Roberts, ed. - See NCJ-92747)

• NCJ Number: 92755
• Author(s): A R Roberts
• Date Published: 1984
• Length: 11 pages
• Sale Source: Springer Publishing Co
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Parts of this appendix were presented at the 1981 annual meeting of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, in Philadelphia, March 11, 1981.

Annotation

Effective education can be an important means of improving the responsiveness of police officers and social workers to domestic violence cases.

Abstract

Police need to know about the nature and prevalence of family violence, misconceptions concerning family violence, methods of defusing conflicts, mediation and other methods of resolving family violence and conflict, and sources and methods of community referrals for victims and their abusers. Police should be informed about legal options open to victims, the different roles of the police and others, and barriers to intervention in family crises. The author developed a university-level course on family violence. Students included both social workers and criminal justice majors, primarily police officers. The law enforcement students initially held cynical attitudes regarding crisis intervention, whereas the social workers regarded each individual as capable of growth and change. The attitudes of the law enforcement officers gradually changed as the course progressed. Course topics included the dynamics of domestic assault; strategies for early casefinding; treatment, prevention, and demonstration projects; the treatment of abusive parents and families; the nature and causes of spouse abuse; intervention services for victims; shelters for battered women; children of battered women; coordination with criminal justice agencies; legal aid and welfare options for victims; elder abuse; and the prevention of family violence. Guest speakers from two shelters presented contrasting viewpoints regarding spouse abuse and stimulated a lively discussion. Those planning curricula for courses on family violence should be sure that the content is interdisciplinary and timely. Thirty-nine references are provided.