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Arresting Women: Pro-arrest Policies, Debates, and Developments

  • Perceptions of Intimate Partner Violence in the Justice System
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Abstract

Police departments across North America have adopted pro-arrest policies in intimate partner violence (IPV) cases with the intent of constraining police discretion and providing better protection for IPV victims. It has been suggested that an unintended consequence of pro-arrest policies has been an increase in the number of women arrested for IPV when their behavior is defensive rather than aggressive. Concern about inappropriate arrests of women is particularly pronounced in cases of dual arrest. This study examines the arrests and court processing of 2,736 women in heterosexual relationships accused of IPV offences in Winnipeg, Canada. The characteristics of accused and court processing of dual and sole arrested women are examined. Dual arrested women are less likely to be prosecuted than sole arrested women. We explore whether an effective ‘primary aggressor’ policy can reduce dual arrests, which are the cases most likely to be dropped at the prosecution level.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research and Education for Solutions to Violence and Abuse (RESOLVE), University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada

    Cheryl Fraehlich & Jane Ursel

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  1. Cheryl Fraehlich
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  2. Jane Ursel
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Correspondence to Cheryl Fraehlich.

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Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Cheryl Fraehlich, RESOLVE, 108 Isbister Building, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N2

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Fraehlich, C., Ursel, J. Arresting Women: Pro-arrest Policies, Debates, and Developments. J Fam Viol 29, 507–518 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-014-9605-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-014-9605-6

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