NIJ FY06 ORE Justice System Response to Intimate Partner Violence

The project will examine the impact of victim participation on risk of revictimization, measured both within the civil and criminal justice systems (subsequent IPV-related 911 calls, arrests, petitions for civil protection orders), and within the healthcare system (use of ED services). Kalamazoo County, Michigan is the site in which these justice and health data will be merged for 1094 partner violence assault cases from the year 2000. Qualitative data will be used to both inform and interpret the quantitative data. After the conclusion of the quantitative data analysis, another series of focus groups will be assembled to help understand the context of the findings and to explore in depth the mechanisms by which victim experiences, empowerment, and safety, and experiences within the justice process influence the decision to participate in prosecution. The study will provide the data necessary to begin to inform the development of interventions that can help empower female IPV victims to make efficient and effective use of the criminal justice system in ways that maximize their health and safety and to inform policy and practice in the implementation of victim advocacy within the criminal justice system. ca/ncf