Does Police Intervention in Intimate Partner Violence Work? Estimating the Impact of Batterer Arrest in Reducing Revictimization

Abstract

A variety of societal interventions in intimate partner violence have been established for decades, including the police actively arresting perpetrators. However, it is difficult to find consistent study results to show if arrest is effective. Moreover, there are far fewer studies on victims than on perpetrators. This study utilized the National Crime Victimization Survey to examine if victims whose partners were arrested were less revictimized than those whose partners were not arrested. Results clearly showed that arrest of perpetrators was effective in reducing revictimization, controlling for victims’ characteristics and the nature of violence incidents. Also, separated or divorced women showed the highest risk of revictimization. Comparisons with previous studies and implications on police policies are discussed.

Keywords

• Intimate partner violence, domestic violence, criminal justice, police, revictimization