Legal Interventions in Family Violence: Research Findings and Policy Implications

• NCJ Number: 171666
• Date Published: July 1998
• Length: 86 pages
• Publication Series: NIJ Research Report
• Grant Number(s): 96-IJ-CX-K002
• Agencies: NIJ
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)

Annotation

This report presents summaries of research on legal interventions in family violence, including child maltreatment, abuse of elderly persons, and partner violence.

Abstract

Research summaries pertinent to legal interventions in child maltreatment cases includes seven studies on children's testimony, four studies on the prosecution of child abuse and neglect cases, two studies on sentencing, one study on the impact of domestic violence on children's behavior, and a study of parental drug testing in child abuse and neglect cases. Research on legal interventions in elder abuse cases includes two studies on coordination and collaboration in dealing with such cases and a paper on recommended guidelines for State courts that handle cases of elder abuse. The section on research pertinent to legal interventions in domestic violence cases contains two studies on batterer and victim characteristics, four studies on the use of civil protection orders in domestic violence cases, four studies on arrest in such cases, six studies of prosecution and defense in these cases, and two studies of court-ordered treatment in domestic violence cases. Two papers address corporate-sector response to domestic violence and statistical reports on family violence. The format for most of the research summaries consists of a statement of the research purpose, a description of research methods, an outline of research findings, and a discussion of implications.