Evaluating State Attorney Filing Decisions and Outcomes in Domestic Violence Cases
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Description
The criminal justice response to domestic violence (DV) has become increasingly punitive. Many courts have implemented no-drop prosecution policies, with the intention that victims would be protected, and offenders would be deterred. It was hoped that these policy changes along with other responses would eventually lead to a reduction of DV, but current statistics show there has been little to no reduction. With the exception of a small body of studies conducted in the late 1990’s, little to no research has been done to examine the relationship between prosecutors filing charges and the goals of victim safety and offender accountability. This presentation will review this research, as well as present findings from a recent study that examined which factors effect filing decisions in DV cases and the effect of filing on victim safety and offender accountability. Additionally, this session will discuss the implications of this research on current practices in the field and make recommendations for best practices in the courts related to domestic violence.
Evaluating State Attorney Filing Decisions and Outcomes in Domestic Violence Cases
The criminal justice response to domestic violence (DV) has become increasingly punitive. Many courts have implemented no-drop prosecution policies, with the intention that victims would be protected, and offenders would be deterred. It was hoped that these policy changes along with other responses would eventually lead to a reduction of DV, but current statistics show there has been little to no reduction. With the exception of a small body of studies conducted in the late 1990’s, little to no research has been done to examine the relationship between prosecutors filing charges and the goals of victim safety and offender accountability. This presentation will review this research, as well as present findings from a recent study that examined which factors effect filing decisions in DV cases and the effect of filing on victim safety and offender accountability. Additionally, this session will discuss the implications of this research on current practices in the field and make recommendations for best practices in the courts related to domestic violence.
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