Understanding Victim Retraction in Cases of Domestic Violence: Specialist Courts, Government Policy, and Victim‐Centred Justice

Abstract

Victim retraction is almost universally viewed by criminal justice officials as a problematic outcome in cases of domestic violence, consequently policy initiatives have been designed to increase support to victims in the hope that more will decide to continue with their cases instead of retracting their statements. However our understanding of the various causes and full consequences of retraction remains limited. Using data from five Specialist Domestic Violence Courts (SDVCs) in England and Wales, we analysed a sample of 216 domestic violence cases to assess the relative influence of victim characteristics, offence characteristics, features of case processing, and evidence available from case files on the decision to retract. Despite the innovative courts, each embedded in strong multi-agency partnerships, half of domestic violence victims still chose to retract. The policy implications of these results are discussed in the context of current British government initiatives designed to 'Narrow the Justice Gap' and 'Bring Offenders to Justice' while at the same attempting to locate the victim "at the heart of the criminal justice system."

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

“…Our understanding of this process of victim retraction is currently very limited with only one known published study explicitly examining victim retraction in the police investigation stage (i.e., Robinson & Cook, 2006). Robinson and Cook (2006) analysed data gathered in 2003, which examined victim and offence-related characteristics that may predict retraction.…”

“…Robinson and Cook (2006) analysed data gathered in 2003, which examined victim and offence-related characteristics that may predict retraction. Fifty per cent of this sample retracted their allegation with 71.3% of these retracting during the police investigation.…”

“…For example, Robinson and Cook (2006) did not examine perpetrator characteristics and the offence-related characteristics were also limited to three variables of: assaultive offence, injury, and use of alcohol by defendant. The current study also examines a measure of seriousness or risk to the victim by using the risk assessment score produced by the Domestic and perpetrator controlling behaviour.…”

“…Commonly, attrition data demonstrates that a significant number of reported incidents of IPV drop out of the criminal justice process at the police investigation stage for numerous reasons that relate to both police investigative processes and victim involvement (Hester, Westmarland, Pearce, & Williamson, 2008). For example, Robinson and Cook (2006) identified that 44% of their victim sample retracted during the police investigation.…”

La víctima en el sistema de justicia penal: Una perspectiva jurídica y criminológica

“…Así por ejemplo, los resultados de un estudio reciente realizado por Robinson y Cook, sobre víctimas que acudieron a la justicia penal por delitos de VIF y que se retractaron, 115 por una parte dan cuenta de que la razón más común de retractación fue la reconciliación de la pareja (27 %), pero por otra se destaca que las víctimas que se retractan corresponden mayoritariamente aquellas que mantienen una relación con el imputado (71 %). En cambio, aquellas víctimas que rompieron la relación -es decir, que son exparejas o exesposas del imputado-se retractan en menos de la mitad de los casos (29 %).…”