Police and Victim Perspectives on Empowerment of Domestic Violence Victims

Abstract

Police have increasingly regarded intervention for and offering assistance to domestic violence victims as an appropriate criminal justice intervention. However, variability in police responding as demonstrated by victim satisfaction surveys has been evident. Using Stark's (1996) suggested standard of victim empowerment to determine the efficacy of police interventions, this study sought to determine from both police and victim perspectives, what dimensions of police interventions were central to victim empowerment. A total of 63 victims and 28 police were interviewed. Results yielded three dimensions of empowerment along which police responses varied: integrated team versus isolated unit functioning, deserving versus undeserving victim perspective, and proactive versus pro–forma responses. Police attitudes, situational factors, and victim characteristics influenced the extent to which responses were experienced as empowering or disempowering by victims.