NCJ Number
138213
Date Published
1991
Length
53 pages
Annotation
Ninety women in London, Ontario, who had been physically abused by their partners were interviewed to determine the effectiveness of police officers making charges in cases of wife assault when the police have reasonable and probable grounds to believe that an assault has occurred.
Abstract
The effectiveness of the charging policy of the London, Ontario, police also was assessed by examining police data on the number of charges made and surveying police officers' attitudes in regard to the importance and impact of the directive to make charges in cases of wife assault. Between 1979 (prepolicy) and 1990, the rate of charges increased from 2.7 percent to 89.9 percent of wife assault occurrences. Over the 1987 through 1990 period, police officers were significantly less inclined to leave the responsibility for making charges with victims. Police charges led to a significant increase in more serious court sentences (probation and incarceration) than in previous years, particularly in contrast to charges made by victims. The charges led to a significant reduction in the violence reported by victims, but their fear of violence persisted. Many victims identified a need for increased awareness of their plight in the community, and 28 percent asked that the police provide more information about the court process and available community services. 2 figures, 28 tables, 18 references, and 7 appendixes