NCJ Number
151613
Date Published
1994
Length
24 pages
Annotation
Data on adolescents who committed domestic assault in Massachusetts between September 1992 and June 1993 formed the basis of an analysis of the characteristics of adolescent batterers and the transmission of violence and abuse.
Abstract
The analysis focused on 461 youths ages 11-17 who were defendants in civil restraining order cases and for whom court affidavits were available. The most common court ordered conditions of the restraining orders were for the defendant to refrain from abuse (97.9 percent), for the defendant to have no contact with the plaintiff (81.5 percent), and for the defendant to vacate and/or stay away from the plaintiff's home (81.5 percent). The majority of defendants (56.9 percent) and victims were currently or previously in a dating relationship with each other. Family members were victims in 42.2 percent of the cases; the relative most often victimized was a parent. Eight-seven percent of the abusive adolescents involved in dating violence were ages 16 and 17. Four-fifths of the batterers were males. Fifty-seven percent of the defendants involved in teen dating violence had prior delinquent or criminal arraignments for a violent offense. Sixty-one percent of the defendants in cases of parental abuse were age 17; another 32 percent were ages 15 and 16. Results indicate that the time of issuance of the restraining order should be a time for intervention; prevention of further violence should be of paramount importance. Domestic violence prevention should also occur before a restraining order is issued; training programs in probation offices and school systems should be expanded. 12 references