ABSTRACT
Since Sherman and Berk’s (1984) study on mandatory arrest, domestic violence (DV) policies have attracted the attention of policing scholars and law enforcement executives. However, the large-scale question, relevant internationally, is how well are these policies being implemented and enforced? This may not be a popular question among law enforcement executives, yet it is an
Introduction ........................................................................................................ 287 Summary of Research Problem ................................................................... 288
Literature Review and Theoretical Considerations ........................................ 289 Changing Domestic Violence Policies in Domestic Violence ................. 289 Theoretical Considerations .......................................................................... 291 Systems Theory .............................................................................................. 291 Institutional Theory ....................................................................................... 292
Methods ............................................................................................................... 292 Sample ............................................................................................................. 293 Data Collection .............................................................................................. 293 Data Analysis .................................................................................................. 294 Findings .......................................................................................................... 295 Commitment .................................................................................................. 296 Proactivity ....................................................................................................... 297 Compulsion .................................................................................................... 298
Discussion ........................................................................................................... 299 Limitations .......................................................................................................... 302 Conclusions ......................................................................................................... 303 Appendix: Example Interview Questions........................................................ 304 References ............................................................................................................ 305
important one. Police and prosecutors are often frustrated when responding to DV incidents because victims regularly return to the violent relationship (Erez & Belknap, 1998, p. 251; also see Hartman & Belknap, 2003). If victims reconcile with their abusers, the reform of police practices and the implementation of DV policies are likely to have little effect. Departments could curtail discretion through reform and policies; however, in order for policies to work effectively, they need to be fully implemented and enforced.
