The response to domestic violence in a model court: some initial findings and implications

This study utilized a non-experimental design to obtain information on a full range of domestic violence incidents brought before the Quincy, Massachusetts District Court, a model court. One limitation of previous research on spouse assaults using more sophisticated designs is that the target population has been restricted to specific subgroups of cases thereby limiting subsequent discussions of policy/practice implications of the findings vis-a-vis all spouse assault cases. To address this research “shortfall”, we obtained permission from the Quincy District Court to examine all the spouse assault cases brought before the court during a 7-month period (June, 1995, through February, 1996). The findings show that in a full enforcement environment, victims took out restraining orders only against the most violent, criminally abusive men. Most men who were arrested for domestic violence had prior criminal histories for a variety of offenses. Domestic violence offenders appeared to be of two types: those with extensive and diverse criminal histories and those with little or no such involvement. However, active criminal justice intervention against domestic violence offenders appears to be primarily directed toward offenders already active in the criminal justice system. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.