Understanding the factors that predict victim retraction in police reported allegations of intimate partner violence.

sleath, emma; Smith, Lisa L.

doi:10.1037/vio0000035

Cited by 23 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 23 publications

(59 reference statements)

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“…These individuals can either cooperate with the police investigation, potentially strengthening it, or provide no supporting information. Instances of noncooperation can include the victim and/or witness failing to provide a statement to officers (Sleath & Smith, 2017), as well as a suspect who provides no explanation for the incident (Peterson & Bialo-Padin, 2012). Understanding the involvement of other actors in incidents of abuse can also be helpful in identifying additional means of supporting the victim.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cooperative actors in domestic abuse and their association with prosecution: implications for the criminal justice system

Birdsall

Kirby

Phythian

2020

The Police Journal: Theory, Practice and Principles

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Suggestions to increase prosecution rates in domestic abuse cases often focus on improving victim cooperation and evidence gathering. This study explores the impact of persons involved in abuse investigations by modelling five variables (victim cooperation; witness cooperation; presence of children; suspect admission; and presence of physical evidence) across 540 cases of domestic abuse. The presence of physical evidence, as well as victim and witness cooperation, all increased the likelihood of a charge against the suspect. However, suspect confession often resulted in a police caution, meaning no successful charge. The implications of these findings to improve investigation and prosecution are discussed.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cooperative actors in domestic abuse and their association with prosecution: implications for the criminal justice system

Birdsall

Kirby

Phythian

2020

The Police Journal: Theory, Practice and Principles

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“…Appearing weak to peers or to one's command, by being known to have been or claimed to have been the victim of an assault, could also be a concern, even more so for male victims. Some victims may fear direct retaliation from the perpetrator, so either hesitate to report, and then report late, or withdraw after reporting (Lea et al : 596; Sleath and Smith ). The accused may have threatened the victim's career or life, or the victim otherwise realizes they are trapped in a relationship, and so refuses to continue with the investigation.…”

Section: Discussion Of Broader Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Military Law and Systemic Issues in the Military's Handling of Sexual Assault Cases

Warner¹,

Armstrong²

2020

Law Soc Rev

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Allegations of sexual assault and sexual harassment by prominent entertainment and media figures and politicians in the United States have brought renewed attention to a political debate that earlier had been focused on universities and the military: the apparent failure of institutions to address and punish cases of sexual assault by their members. In light of this debate, we consider how cases fare in an institution that is perennially accused of gender bias and of tolerating rape: the US military. Through the analysis of 585 sexual assault report summaries from the US military bases in Japan, we find that the military often tries to punish cases of sexual assault. However, many cases do not have sufficient evidence for prosecution as sexual assault cases. Low conviction rates at court-martial for reported sexual assaults may indicate systemic problems with the nature of the cases themselves and the circumstances in which the cases arise. Low conviction rates may also reflect the military's legal mandate to prioritize mission, and its legal system's multiple options for addressing crime outside of trial procedures. Case characteristics interact with the primary concerns of command authority and complainants, within a highly institutionalized, closed context, to affect the military's handling and disposition of reported sexual assault cases. , the anonymous reviewers and the editors for helpful comments on earlier versions of the paper. We are grateful to

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“…Gover, Welton-Mitchell, Belknap, and Deprince (2013) report how survivors do not report additional incidents of violence to the police, most commonly, because they feel the incidents are not serious enough. Sleath and Smith (2017) analysed 524 prosecution cases to find that being from a deprived area, and having a higher risk assessment score were key predictors of victims'…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Qualitative Study of the Perspectives of Domestic Violence Survivors on Behavior Change Programs With Perpetrators

McGinn

Taylor

McColgan

2019

J Interpers Violence

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This study investigated the process of change in Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) perpetrators through in-depth interviews with their (ex-) partners. Programmes designed to help perpetrators change their behaviour, have yet to be endorsed by rigorous evaluation. In this context, this study explored survivors' perspectives for direction on how these programmes might be further developed. Interviews were conducted with eighteen IPV survivors, who had recently had the experience of having a (ex-) partner complete a perpetrator programme. The study employed iterative data collection and analysis, in keeping with the grounded theory approach to qualitative research. Researchers used secondary coding to enhance study rigour. Lines of enquiry which were relevant to perpetrator programme development where identified in an expert review of interim findings, after nine interviews. Survivors described change on a spectrum, from highly significant change, through uncertainty about change, to harmful change. Some survivors described their subscription to new standards of family safety, following the support and time-out they had been afforded during their partners' treatment. Study findings give us pause to consider what we can realistically hope to achieve through traditionally formatted psycho-educative group-work programmes with perpetrators. Survivors described the need for long term sustained changed in perpetrators, and genuine feelings of safety for themselves, and their children. The authors discuss the role current perpetrator programmes might play in achieving these aims and point toward the inadequacy of commonly used behaviour-counting tools in programme evaluations. Based on current study findings, authors suggest that perpetrator programmes can become perpetrator-centric, and stray from their original conceptualisation as just one part of an integrated response to IPV. Authors lend support to calls for the use of survivor safety, and wellbeing measures, in programme evaluations.

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Understanding the factors that predict victim retraction in police reported allegations of intimate partner violence.

Cited by 23 publications

References 23 publications

Cooperative actors in domestic abuse and their association with prosecution: implications for the criminal justice system

Cooperative actors in domestic abuse and their association with prosecution: implications for the criminal justice system

The Role of Military Law and Systemic Issues in the Military's Handling of Sexual Assault Cases

A Qualitative Study of the Perspectives of Domestic Violence Survivors on Behavior Change Programs With Perpetrators

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