Evaluating a System-Wide Response to Domestic Abuse: Some Initial Findings

This study compares the effects on recidivism of arrest and post-arrest legal sanctions among men accused of domestic abuse, identifies associations between some correlates of abuse and recidivism, and compares the effects of arrest and post-arrest legal sanctions controlling for these correlates. The findings indicate that correlates of abuse explain more variance in recidivism than post-arrest legal sanctions. They also suggest that further analysis may reveal significant relationships between some post-arrest legal sanctions and recidivism.