Victim Protection Orders and the Stake in Conformity Thesis

• NCJ Number: 203025
• Journal: Journal of Family Violence Volume: 18 Issue: 6 Dated: December 2003 Pages: 317-323
• Author(s): John M. Johnson; Yvonne Luna; Judy Stein
• Date Published: December 2003
• Length: 7 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This paper reports findings from research on the effectiveness of orders of protection in deterring domestic violence in Arizona, with attention to the influence of "stake-in-conformity" variables (employed, educated, married) on the outcome.

Abstract

In Arizona an order of protection may mandate that the person against whom the order is issued not threaten, intimidate, endanger, assault, interfere with child custody, unlawfully imprison, kidnap, trespass or damage the property of, or commit any other disorderly conduct against the plaintiff. Further, the court may grant the plaintiff the exclusive use and possession of the residence and may order that the abuser not go near the place or premises of the plaintiff's residence, work, and children's school, as well as any other specified location. Any violation of an order may result in arrest and prosecution for the crime of interference with judicial proceedings, for resisting or disobeying the order, or for any crime of domestic violence upon probable cause. The research included interviews with officials and judges, a survey of domestic-violence victims, and interviews with those who obtained protection orders. Questionnaires were mailed to 430 individuals who had obtained orders of protection during 1997 in Maricopa County. The 78 who responded included 13 males and 65 females. Sixty percent of these indicated there had been a violation of the court order. Of the violations, 35 percent involved violence against the plaintiff. Data were collected on several variables to assess the abuser's "stake in conformity" (employment, marital status, educational level, and status of home ownership). The study found that none of the measures of stake-in-conformity produced significant differences in violations of protection orders; however, the number of cases examined was too small to assess statistical significance. 17 references