Police Response to Domestic Violence Essay

In 2005, the Bureau of legal expert Statistics worked that 1,181 females were killed by an advise assistant. That meat e actu whollyyday, 3 women argon killed as a all the samet of municipal rage. These overwhelming statistics overly state that proscribed of all the women polish off in the linked States, one divulge of three of the murders be the direct result of an intimate disunitener. municipalated helpated ferocity is a pattern of abusive behavior that includes whether sexual, ablaze or physi chaty, that is imposed by a sortner in an intimate race. This has been a major problem in the united States and for decades national help fury continues to increase.We acknowledge that home(prenominal) rage continues to be an epidemic on the rise. concord to Eve S. Buzawa and Carl G. Buzawa, reform of patrol action in home(prenominal) enrapture cases has been a recurrent theme for twenty years (Dunham & axerophthol Albert, 2010, pg.137). Unfortunately, t he traditional practice of legal philosophy force reply involving national violence scandalizes sleek over seems to propose precedent. equity enforcement maintains their reactive go on by means of over ope siteing interventions, screening out screams or sustaining the attitude that national violence is non a real detestation.Nevertheless, the contend regarding the inadequacy of presence and concern for house servantated violence dupes goes beyond the stereotypical occasions why legality enforcement do not take a more proactive approach. The reasons may include personal attitudes, leave out of prep atomic number 18dness or even revere. However, when domestic cases request minorities, constabulary enforcement has been known to be fall suspiciously bias. Nonetheless, domestic violence is not that limited tomale and female kinds. Homosexuals are too involved in domestic violence disputes as well and incumbents particularly avoid intervention in these cases even more than heterosexual bloods.In this report, we pass on explore the different characteristics involving law of nature responses to domestic violence, the reasons why law enforcement hesitate in their response, and the different statistics involving intervention in heterosexual, homo and minority households.Avoiding InterventionWe occupy hold by means of galore(postnominal) texts and the experience of our fissure officers that practice of law work is a very(prenominal) mundane profession. The highlights we visualize on telly presentations are roughly(prenominal)ly for entertainment purposes. In reality, legal philosophy work consists of domestic violence interventions, which also includes cases of drug abuse. Unfortunately, police interventions in domestic violence cases still leave out a proactive response.Although today Domestic Violence intervention still ask to be revised in bump off augurs of servicing more productive, it was not until the wee 197 0s when making an arrest for felonies without a warrant were not legal (Doak, 2010, pg. 150). besides fourteen of those states allowed the same protocol for misdemeanors and since enthral and battery is a misdemeanor, victims were forced to work up their own criminal charges, which resulted in lack of arrests and lack of making a report (Doak, 2010, pg. 150). Fortunately since 2006, new legislature has authorize warrant less probable take for misdemeanor arrests in all states concerning domestic violence cases (Doak, 2010, pg. 150) but law enforcement continues to show a lack of enthusiasm in making arrests. fit in to authors, Roger G. Dunham and Geoffrey P. Albert, thither are several reasons concerning the reluctance to respond to domestic violence calls. The common edit outs that involve law enforcements lack of intervention include organisational impediments, lack of training, fear of injury and most importantly police attitudes. Domestic violence is misdemeanor, so in res ult police officers dont think of this assault as a real crime. They avoid making arrest as to leave off that domestic violence is a scourge of time. Its common for police response to a domestic violence business office to lack enthusiasm or hold out making an appearance at all.However, fear is also an imperative reason that causes law enforcement to hesitate in the involvement of domestic violence cases. Until recently, police officers werent cognisant of the proper protocol in intervention domestic violence cases. excessively, in homoy cases the victim can also turn out to be the aggressor when an officer attempts to make an arrest. This can be a convincing discouragerent in lack of police response. The most important reason I would like to discuss is police attitudes towards domestic violence cases and victims. The reasons I think of above are all characteristics that endure to the lack of involvement however the soulfulness attitude of the officer starts much vehe mence on their actions.Victim StatisticsApproximately 1.3 one thousand thousand women are physically assaulted by an intimate partner annually in the United States. In a 19951996 study conducted through the fifty states including the District of Columbia, it was found that approximately 25% of women were raped and/or physically assaulted by a current or former partner, cohabiting partner, or dating/ protagonist at some time in their lifetime (American Bar Association, 2010). According to the U.S. department of referee, between 1998 and 2002, of the virtually 3.5 million crimes perpetrate against family members, almost half of these were crimes against spouses. Eighty-four of those spouse abuse victims were females. In 2001, intimate partner violence make up 20% of all nonfatal violent crime experience by women. In 2000, 1,247 women were killed by their intimate partner (American Bar Association, 2010). twain years ago my best comrade was a part of these overwhelming statistic s. For just approximately three years she found herself in a very abusive relationship with her then boy booster rocket who is now the gravel of her three-year-old child. The late night calls I authoritative kept me on edge because I just continued to worry when I was divergence to get that fatal call that my best friend was dead. There were numerous attempts of escape but like most of these women, love can sometimes be a curse. Fortunately, my friend was able to split up away from her maltreater. Unfortunately, turning to the statistics I mentioned above, all are not so lucky.Although going through that experience with my best friend was one of the hardest things in my life, knowing that there were numerous attempts to seek help from law enforcement to totally be ignored furious me more. As I discussed before, police officers are not concerned with victims of domestic violence. At least thats what m some(prenominal) victims differentiate including my best friend. Victims a re not taken seriously because the misdemeanor crime is not taken seriously. Regardless of your race, being a victim of an intimate partner relationship continues to get the back seat. Studies have shown that sealed characteristics do play a remarkable part of how a police officer forget act to an individual call for service. In cases of domestic violence police attitudes towards women, different races, and even sexual mouthful has played a detailed part between making arrests and telling an abuser to just take a toss and cool off.Victim CharacteristicsOne in three women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime say Kathy Doherty, an executive director of an association named in the midst of Friends (Chaney, K., 2008). It is very disturbing to be assured of these statistics and still lack the support from law enforcement to take the matters seriously. Its even more unsettling to know that your race will play a significant role in how a police officer will exercise h is/her own discretion.In studies I have read, theorists believe that when we evaluate the relationship between domestic violence victims and police response, institutional racism becomes a end point widely used to define the relationship. According to the Macpherson Reports definitioninstitutional Racism consists of the collective failure of an physical composition to provide an appropriate and professional service to people because of their color, culture or ethnical origin. It can be seen or notice in processes, attitudes and behavior which amount to diversity through unwitting prejudice, ignorance, thoughtlessness, and racist stereotyping which disfavour minority ethnic people (Belur, J., 2008, pg. 428).According to Amanda L. Robinson and Megham S. Chandek, authors of Differential Police Response to pitch blackness Battered Women, stated not besides are colourful women . . . handicapped on account of their sex, but they are almost everywhere baffled and mocked because of their race. Not solely because they are women, but because they are colored women (Chandek, M. S., & Robinson, A. L., (2000), pg. 30). Institutionalized racism is the very plague that has made police responses to domestic violence calls for service ineffective. Minority ethic women have not been treated clean involving many accounts including sexism and racism. Today, gender and ethnic backgrounds are reasons for their complaints to be handled differently. According to reports made by the National Crime using Survey and the FBI (homicide reports), dusky females experienced domestic violence at a rate 35% higher than that of white females, and about 22 times the rate of women of different races (Newton, C.J. 2009).Minority Women are not the only class that suffers from discrimination when evaluating proactive police response. The LGBT community has also been a victim of sexism when seeking assistance from law enforcement in domestic violence cases. Take this sheath from the article, Stonewalled Police subvert and Misconduct Against Lesbian, human and Transgender People in the U.S.A human being Philippine man was reportedly vanquish on several occasions by his partner, a white U.S. citizen, who was reportedly given to drugs and alcohol. When police responded to one altercation, they reportedly arrested the Filipino man and threatened to report him to immigration authorities, saying Youre not a citizen. We should deport you, you shouldnt be bang Americans youre not an American. The Filipino man was sentenced to 52 weeks of batterers intervention in court (Amnesty global USA, 2010)This type of shabbiness is unacceptable especially in a place where our Victims Rights and Human Rights are say to protect us. Ethnic backgrounds, gender or sex should never play a significant role in how a police officer calculatees a call for service in a domestic violence case or any case. Institutional Racism mustiness be abolished from our practices of handling violent victims cases regardless of certain characteristics of the victim.Changes for ReformLuckily, we as a nation have come forward to not only address the problems involving police response in domestic violence cases but to also levy a solution. There have been committees and neighborly groups, such as Battered Women Advocates, who have helped to spread the awareness of domestic violence. Also the Minneapolis Domestic Violence experiment (1981-1982) has also played a significant part in finding a out-of-the-way(prenominal) more effective way to deter future violence than merely breakup of the parties or officer mediation (Dunham R. G. & Albert, G. P, (2010), pg. 147).Although assaults and batteries are misdemeanors, provoking public engross in the issue can place unlimited pressures on our criminal jurist system. Law enforcement agencies have developed plans and in-service trainings to make officers responding to domestic violence cases more sluttish and aware of their o ptions. Training also leads to a decrease of fear of injury when go up volatile situations. The most prominent federal official response happened in 1994, when the Violence Against Women impress was passed to help the fight to stop violence against women.ConclusionLaw enforcement plays a brisk role in our criminal judge system. Although police officers are just mending citizens in provide, we still hold them to a higher standard compared to the general public. We must understand that this country as a hold must work together to stop violence against women (or men) and the assistance of the numerous law enforcement agencies is more than needed. This report was intentional to shine a light on the many issues surrounding calls for service in domestic violence cases. Its not to suggest that all police officers are racist, sexist or homo-phobic. However, we must pose on top of the issue to burst achieve in the success of stop institutional racist attitudes. It will evermore s tart with that individual who is behind the uniform that is responding to a call. To continue to generate give-and-take will only make the issue of domestic violence involving police interaction an issue of the past.ReferencesAmerican Bar Association. (2010). missionary post of DomesticViolence. Retrieved May 16, 2010, from http//new.abanet.org/domesticviolence/Pages/Statistics.aspxAmnesty International USA. (2010). Stonewalled Police Abuse andMisconduct Against Lesbian, homophile and Transgender People in the U.S. Retrieved May 16, 2010, from http//www.amnestyusa.org/lgbt-human-rights/stonewalled-a-report/police-response/page.do?id=1106617Belur, Jyoti. (2008). Is policing domestic violenceinstitutionally racist? A case study of south Asiatic Women. Policing and Society, Volume 18, Issue 4, pg. 426-444.Bureau of Justice Statistics. (2009). Prison Statistics.Retrieved October 27, 2009, fromhttp//www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/prisons.htmChaney, K. (2008). Domestic Violence hits Black Wom en Harder.Chicago Defender Online.Doak, M.J. (2007). Domestic Violence, Law Enforcement, and CourtResponses to Domestic Violence. Child Abuse and Domestic Violence, 147-165.Dunham, R. G., & Albert, G. P. (2010). Critical Issues inPolicing. Illinois. Waveland Press.Newton, C, J. (2009). Domestic Violence An Overview. RetrievedMay 16, 2010, from http//www.findcounseling.com/journal/domestic-violence/domestic-violence-statistics.htmlRobinson, A. L., & Chandek, M. S. (2000). Differential Police