Over 900 suspected spouse abusers were randomly assigned to arrest or nonarrest intervention groups; in the second stage of the study, they were received or did not receive follow-up intervention from the Safe Streets Unit (SSU), comprised of police officers trained to handle domestic violence cases. Officers from the SSU would interview the disputants to determine the frequency of abuse and conditions that precipitated it, help disputants understand the long-term consequences of domestic violence, and refer the couple to outside counseling. Victims included spouses, former spouses, and women who were assaulted by male friends. Information about subsequent domestic violence was obtained from interviews with victims soon after and 6 months after the initial incident, domestic violence continuation reports, and arrest reports. Results of the study showed that arrest of spouse abusers had a significant, positive effect on the recidivism rate, and that suspects who were employed responded better to the arrest treatment than those who were unemployed. There was no significant difference in the recidivism rate between those who received the SSU follow-up intervention and those who did not. 8 figures and 3 references
Spouse Abuse Research Raises New Questions About Police Response to Domestic Violence
NCJ Number
148713
Date Published
1992
Length
6 pages
Annotation
The National Institute of Justice funded this study, in which previous research conducted in Minneapolis was replicated in Dade County, Florida, to examine whether police treatment of domestic violence offenders has an effect on recidivism.
Abstract
Date Published: January 1, 1992