Coordinated Community Intervention for Domestic Violence: The Effects of Arrest and Prosecution on Recidivism of Woman Abuse Perpetrators

This study explored the effectiveness of a coordinated community intervention designed to reduce domestic violence in DuPage County, Illinois. Police reports for all domestic violence calls within a 3-month period that indicated a male perpetrator of physical abuse against an intimate female partner were analyzed. The analysis examined the effects of arrest and prosecution on subsequent police calls and arrests within an 18-month period following the initial incident. Logistic regression analysis indicated that arrest significantly deterred subsequent domestic violence incidents. The deterrent effect of arrest did not deteriorate over the 18-month period and was most pronounced for those offenders who had a previous history of police involvement for domestic violence.