Domestic Violence Reforms: Empty Promises or Fulfilled Expectations?

Abstract

During the past few decades, criminal justice agencies have radically changed the way that they respond to domestic violence incidents. Arrest had become the preferred police response to domestic incidents, prosecutors have acted to reduce the control of victims over domestic court cases, restraining orders have become more widely used, and court-mandated treatment for batterers has become common. The authors review what is known about the efficacy of these major reforms and conclude that the criminal justice system remains for from developing a set of tools that work well across a variety of situations in reducing the likelihood of future violence.