The impact of victim advocacy on the prosecution of domestic violence offences: Lessons from a Realistic Evaluation

Abstract

This article explores the impact of a court-based advocacy service on the prosecution of domestic violence offences. The research, conducted as part of a PhD thesis, evaluated a team of Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs) based within a Specialist Domestic Violence Court (SDVC). The author adopted the methodology of Realistic Evaluation (Pawson and Tilley, 1997) in order to understand firstly, any impact of the court-based IDVA service on court outcomes, secondly, how any such outcomes were achieved and, finally, in what contexts they occurred. As this article explores, effective victim advocacy has the potential to impact positively on the prosecution of domestic violence offences.

Reporting rape: Victim perspectives on advocacy support in the criminal justice process

“…In this context we understand 'secondary victimisation' to mean the additional trauma experienced by rape victims due to victim blaming or otherwise insensitive responses within the criminal justice system (Jordan, 2001;Skinner and Taylor, 2009). We conclude with a discussion of the benefits of rape advocacy independent of criminal justice agencies for engagement with victims, which is consistent with research on advocacy in other criminal justice contexts (Hucklesby and Worrall 2007;Robinson 2009;Taylor-Dunn 2016), and for meeting victims' conceptions of justice (McGlynn et al, 2016). Finally, we highlight the implications of this analysis for future research and practice.…”

“…However, there are differing definitions, understandings and purposes of advocacy, each with distinctive characteristics relating to the nature of work undertaken and the organizations that advocacy services are located within. Existing research evidence, and the case for advocates, is based primarily on the success of advocacy in domestic violence cases (Howarth et al, 2009; Parmar et al, 2005; Sullivan, 1991; Taylor-Dunn, 2016; Vallely et al, 2005) and, with few exceptions (e.g. Campbell, 2006; Robinson, 2009), there is limited research evidence about the value and efficacy of advocacy support in relation to rape (Daly, 2011; Rich, 2014).…”

Evidencing domestic violence*, including behaviour that falls under the new offence of ‘controlling or coercive behaviour’

“…In these courts, personnel are trained in domestic violence matters and delays are reduced by what is essentially a fast track approach. IDVAs have been particularly important in providing support and guidance to the complainant about the criminal justice process and beyond (Bowen et al, 2014; Taylor-Dunn, 2015).…”

“…16 Taylor-Dunn’s research suggests that defence lawyer’s advice to their clients is to change their plea to ‘guilty’, once they are aware that the complainant is present. This makes enabling safe and effective victim participation of paramount importance to securing increased domestic violence conviction rates (Taylor-Dunn, 2015).…”

‘Listen to me, his behaviour is erratic and I’m really worried for our safety . . .’: Help-seeking in the context of coercive control

“…Such gender discrimination may contribute to the relatively high attrition rate in domestic abuse cases (Stewart et al, 2013). Research by Taylor-Dunn (2016) shows that the attrition rate in criminal justice processes is significantly reduced when domestic abuse specialists adopt a person-led 'empowerment approach'. This approach involves listening to women's assessments of perpetrator actions and taking their concerns seriously.…”