What happened depends on whom you ask: A comparison of police records and victim reports regarding arrests for woman battering
✍ Scribed by Ruth E. Fleury; Cris M. Sullivan; Deborah I. Bybee; William S. Davidson II
- Book ID
- 104269720
- Publisher
- Elsevier Science
- Year
- 1998
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 506 KB
- Volume
- 26
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0047-2352
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Following Sherman and Berk's (1984) study of the deterrent effects of arrest, researchers have continued to examine the role of the criminal justice system in responding to woman battering. Much of this research has used either victim reports or official records as data, even though victim reports and police records often disagree. The current study compared victim reports and official records of arrest and conviction for woman battering to examine the magnitude and pattern of discrepancies. Participants were recruited from a shelter for women with abusive partners and were interviewed several times across two years. Their police and court records were also examined. Agreement regarding arrest and conviction was low, with victims more likely to indicate that an arrest or conviction occurred. Implications of these discrepancies for researchers, victim decision making, and law enforcement are discussed.