Predicting Disengagement from Judicial Proceedings by Female Victims of Intimate Partner Violence in Spain: A Systematic Replication With Prospective Data

Abstract

This article examines which variables predict disengagement from legal proceedings by victims of intimate partner violence in the first steps of the Spanish judicial process. We replicated a previous retrospective study with a prospective sample of 393 women. The relationships of sociodemographic, emotional, motivational, and psychological variables with procedural withdrawals were analyzed. We developed a binary logistic regression model that predicts disengagement with two variables: the contact with the abuser and the interaction between this contact and the thought of going back with him. Interesting differences between the current and the retrospective study were found. Results are discussed extensively in the conclusions.

A systematic literature review of machine learning methods in predicting court decisions

“…The ROSES review protocol lead the current research. The ROSES protocol is developed for systematic review and environment management field maps [34]- [45]. Additionally, the ROSES protocol also encourages researchers to guarantee that they offer the correct information with explicit details.…”

“…al. [34] studied disengagement prediction where the researchers examined the variable needed by victims from legal proceedings before modelling the prediction model. This study developed a binary logistic regression model that predicts disengagement with two variables that are different from previous approaches.…”

Psychosocial Separation and Women’s Disengagement From Prosecutions Against Abusive Intimate Partners in Spain

“…However, all of these studies were conducted outside of Spain. As a consequence, during the last few years, some projects in Southern Spain have addressed this gap (Cala et al, 2016; García-Jiménez, Cala, & Trigo, 2019; García-Jiménez, Cala, Trigo, et al, 2019; García-Jiménez & Trigo, 2019). Not only did this body of research reveal which variables were related to disengagement from legal proceedings (identifying similarities and differences with research from abroad), they also suggested variables that predict the decision to drop charges.…”

“…These include being denied a protective order, maintaining contact with the defendant, or feeling guilty for having used the CJS. These projects used quantitative analyses similar to previous research (e.g., Dawson & Dinovitzer, 2001; Robinson & Cook, 2006), but they included psychological, emotional, and motivational variables (e.g., Cala et al, 2016; García-Jiménez, Cala, & Trigo, 2019) in addition to variables related to the judicial process (García-Jiménez, Cala, Trigo, et al, 2019).…”

“…A total of 21% of all who file complaints in Spain withdraw from legal proceedings (GOGV, 2015). Several studies have explored the reasons why these women withdraw their participation from legal proceedings (e.g., Bennett et al, 1999; Cala et al, 2016; García-Jiménez, Cala, Trigo, et al, 2019; Robinson & Cook, 2006; Sleath & Smith, 2017). Although some research has shown the importance of emotional detachment from the partner in their decision to withdraw (e.g., Erez & Belknap, 1998; Hare, 2010), the resulting analyses and models have failed to consider the impact of the process of leaving, breaking free, and recovering from the violent relationship on disengagement from the CJS.…”