Does a Coordinated Program Between the Police and Prosecution Services Matter? The Impacts on Satisfaction and Safety of Domestic Violence Victims

Abstract

Domestic violence–specialized programs have been created by the police or the criminal justice system with the intention of improving victims’ protection. This article examines the impact of the first Portuguese coordinated program, involving a specialized prosecution team and a special police unit, the experience of victims in encountering with authorities, and the fulfillment of their expectations on victims’ satisfaction and safety. Data were collected through a telephone survey, using a two-group quasi-experimental design, at two waves (3 and 12 months after the crime report). Victims from the experimental group are more satisfied and reveal a better sense of safety. However, it is only in the second variable that the program has a direct effect on multivariate analysis. Satisfaction mainly comes from the authorities’ demeanor and the expectation fulfillment while it is the authorities’ behavior and the expectation fulfillment that grounds safety.