The Deterrent Effect of Prosecuting Domestic Violence Misdemeanors

The deterrent effect of arrest on domestic violence has been well researched. Still, many experts acknowledge that the effect of arrest needs to be examined within the context of whether and how cases are prosecuted and the sanctions that are imposed. To date, however, far less effort has been placed on understanding the deterrent effects of prosecution as opposed to the deterrent effects of arrest. The authors' work analyzes rearrest as a function of court disposition in a large sample (n = 1,133) of domestic violence misdemeanor cases. The authors' results show no effect of type of disposition on rearrest within a six-month period.