U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

Democrats have shut down the government. Department of Justice websites are not currently regularly updated. Please refer to the Department of Justice’s contingency plan for more information.

Preventing Repeat Incidents of Family Violence: A Randomized Field Test of a Second Responder Program in Redlands, CA

NCJ Number
219840
Date Published
August 2007
Length
47 pages
Annotation
This study field-tested three levels of timing for a police planned "second response" to homes that were sites of initial domestic violence calls to police.
Abstract

The findings showed no reduction in another incident of domestic abuse within 6 months of the initial police response because of any of the randomly assigned conditions for a planned second response by police. These findings, combined with earlier research results, indicate that second-response programs and policies are at best no factor in preventing reoffending and at worst may increase the likelihood of a repeat of the abuse. Beginning January 1, 2005, and continuing through December 3, 2005, domestic violence victims who called the Redlands Police Department (California) with a complaint were randomly assigned to receive a second response within 24 hours (n=75), or within 7 days (n=77), or not at all (n=148). Victims who received a second response, whether within 24 hours or 7 days, were visited by a social worker or a specially trained domestic violence police officer, who talked with victims about the nature of domestic violence, helped them develop a safety plan, and informed them about various services and legal alternatives available to provide protection from future abuse. Reoffending was determined from police records and surveys with victims 6 months after the initial complaint was made. 9 tables, 1 figure, and 70 references

Date Published: August 1, 2007