Evaluating Coordinated Community Responses to Domestic Violence

Page 1 of 8 Since the early 1980’s, activists in the battered women’s movement have been working to make reforms in the criminal justice system to create a more responsive, consistent and coordinated effort to address domestic violence cases. Reform efforts have focused on reducing cultural supports for battering and shifting the responsibility for holding batterers accountable for their use of violence from the victim to the community (Pence & Shepard, 1988). While initial efforts focused on reforming individual components of the justice system, concerns about fragmentation and the absence of a shared vision and public accountability, led to the development of coordinated community responses to domestic violence (Hart, 1995). This report provides a summary and analysis of research on coordinated community responses to domestic violence. It provides an overview of different mechanisms for coordination, examines individual components of a coordinated community response, and addresses the overall response. The focus here will be on the justice system, advocacy and programs for abusers. In recent years more attention has been given to broadening the response to include other community agencies, such as health care facilities, child welfare agencies, substance abuse treatment agencies, and religious institutions (Clark, Burt, Schulte & Maguire, 1996). A comprehensive community response requires that other social problems that contribute to violence be addressed (e.g., poverty, adequate housing, affordable childcare, and child support enforcement). A coordinated community response involves police, prosecutors, probation officers, battered women’s advocates, counselors and judges in developing and implementing polices and procedures that improve interagency coordination and lead to more uniform responses to domestic violence cases. Components of a coordinated community response include: pro-arrest or mandatory arrest policies; follow-up support and advocacy for victims; aggressive and prompt prosecution; active monitoring of offender compliance with probation conditions; court mandated participation in batterer rehabilitation programs; and monitoring of the system-wide response to domestic violence cases. Civil remedies have been strengthened by removing barriers to obtaining orders of protection, improving their enforcement, and requiring participation in batterer rehabilitation programs. Specific policies and practices vary depending upon state legislation, the structure of the court system, and the characteristics of local agencies.