The Ineffectiveness of Training on Increasing Time at the Scene, Acceptance for Prosecution, and Convictions of Domestic Violence Cases
| Author | Susanne E. Green,Martha Smithey,Andrew L. Giacomazzi |
| Published date | 01 November 2004 |
| Date | 01 November 2004 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1350/pojo.77.4.309.58962 |
Martha Smithey
Associate Professor, Department of Sociology
Susanne E. Green
Department of English, New Mexico State University
Andrew L. Giacomazzi
Associate Professor, Department of Criminal Justice
Administration, Boise State University
THE INEFFECTIVENESS OF
TRAINING ON INCREASING TIME
AT THE SCENE, ACCEPTANCE
FOR PROSECUTION, AND
CONVICTIONS OF DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE CASES*
Does police officer training for managing a domestic violence
scene improve the chances for a case to be accepted for
prosecution and to result in a conviction? If such training
emphasises more careful evidence collection and response to
victim, would not there be an increase in time spent on the
scene? This article is an evaluation of domestic violence
training for police officers and analyses the effect of the
training on the amount of time police officers spend on
the scene with victims of domestic violence, number of cases
accepted for prosecution, and the case’s culmination in a
conviction. Data from 291 domestic violence cases were
collected from a southwest, predominantly Mexican American,
metropolitan police department and district attorney’s office.
Findings indicate no significant increases in time spent at the
scene, acceptance of the case for prosecution, and conviction
when comparing cases managed by trained officers to cases
managed by untrained officers.
In the 1960s efforts to change police officer attitudes and
practices towards perceiving domestic violence as a crime
and victims of domestic violence as deserving police assistance
and protection began. The prevalent mode for change took the
form of police officer training and has tended to occur in acute,
specialised sessions ranging from a few hours to a few days. The
The Police Journal, Volume 77 (2004)309
first training curriculum was designed and implemented in 1965
by Morton Bard who emphasised conflict mediation, increased
time at the scene and the use of referral services (Sherman,
1992).
Analyses of data from Bard’s initial efforts indicate the
training had no effect on domestic violence rates and, in fact,
may have increased repeat episodes of violence, assaults and
homicides (Liebman & Schwartz, 1973). Later research focused
on departmental policy in general. Parnas (1969) reviewed police
response to domestic disturbances and found practices and policy
that encourage minimal involvement, the use of arrest as a last
resort and ‘no departmental attempt to encourage or implement
the use of the referral procedure’ for domestic disputes. He
further found that when victims insisted on arrest, the officers
used threats of filing cross-complaints (the offender signing a
complaint against the victim) to dissuade the victim’s demand
(923; see also the International Association of Chiefs of Police,
1967).
Mandated policy change began in the 1980s with 47 states
passing domestic violence legislation affecting protection orders,
expanding the options for warrantless arrest to include misde-
meanour assault, and legally recognising a history of abuse as a
defence for battered women who kill their husbands (Fagan,
1995). The 1990s saw the spread of mandatory or preferred
arrest as policy in domestic violence disputes. The implementa-
tion of this new policy resulted in the need for police officer
training to increase understanding of the dynamics of domestic
violence and new techniques in evidence documentation and
victim interviewing. Since the inception of domestic violence
training and implementation in changes in departmental policy
and practices, there have been several effectiveness studies on
police officer motivation, behaviours, practices and adherence to
domestic violence policy. Typically, these studies implement
outcome measures, such as: arrest (Buzawa & Thomas, 1995);
department policy (Stanko, 1985) and organisational imperatives
(Kemp, Norris & Fielding, 1992; Buzawa & Buzawa, 1990);
report writing (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1994); convictions
(Matoesian, 1993; Smart, 1986; Dobash & Dobash, 1979);
victim satisfaction (Buzawa & Austin, 1993); and response to
domestic violence calls (Elias, 1993; Dobash & Dobash, 1992;
Edwards, 1989; Hamner, Radford & Stanko, 1989; Parker,
1985), to assess the effectiveness of training and philosophical
change in dealing with domestic violence. These studies found
mixed results concerning differential treatment by police officers
310The Police Journal, Volume 77 (2004)
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