Over One-Fourth of Domestic Violence Incidents Go Unreported
According to LegalMatch.com data, 27% of the victims of domestic violence in the past 12 months did not report the incident to the police. These figures come from an analysis of anonymous customer intake reports between now and April 2008. Studies by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) show that victims of crime are less likely to report incidents involving non-strangers than strangers. Together these figures make sense: because domestic violence involves intimate partners and family members, people may not want the police involved.
Other reasons such as those brought up here may further contribute to a lack of reporting. Mandatory policies based on political grandstanding plus the limited repertoire of tools available to the Police may make people hesitant to call the boys in blue. When a cop’s toolbox is generally limited to handcuffs and a gun, there are only so many things they can do.
What is the exact problem we are looking at when over a fourth of victims are not reporting crimes to the police? That cops should be better trained to deal with these issues, and people should therefore be more encouraged to call them?
I’m skeptical of a solution that sees more police involvement in family disputes as an improvement. Obviously there are situations where the police should show up: a large amount of murders occur between spouses where the offender should have already been in jail, or should have been under more rigorous supervision from law enforcement officials.
On the other hand, there are also situations where police presence might have done more harm than good. The recent murder of 3 officers in Pittsburgh occurred after the shooter’s mother requested that the police come and kick her son out of her house. The police shouldn’t have to expect that an armed lunatic is going to greet them at the door of a domestic disturbance call, but situations like this will stay in the back of officers’ minds and make dealing with these calls all the more difficult.
Should more people be reporting domestic violence? If there is a genuine crime occurring, yes. But like so many other issues in the criminal justice system, the law is often called on to fix situations it is ill-equipped to handle. Domestic violence and domestic disturbance runs the gamut from genuine crimes that warrant incarceration or arrest, to family disputes where guns and handcuffs may serve to only make matters much worse. Although there are serious problems associated with the non-reporting of violent crimes, there is a context. Should the police be involved in each and every domestic dispute? Does the use or threat of violence always warrant the involvement of the police and of the courts? I do not think so.
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Comments
i think people getting beat is a good thing and i wonder how many rapes went unreported
It’s a shame there is no way for a victim to lawfully report a domestic dispute escalating in physical injuries without the CHANCE the abusive partner might be notified of the report. NO WONDER 1/4 incidents go un-reported… if the victim is living with or sharing children, they STILL have to keep the peace with the assailant..!
Vista Maria is an organization dedicated to restructuring the lives of victimized girls. They are a great resource that can be very helpful for girls dealing with domestic violence and physical abuse. Please check out The Need on their website at http://www.vistamaria.org.
I know why it goes unreported I have been there my late husband was a great man till he got involved in drugs and then he became very abusive I was terrified of him but still remembered who he was before , he was also involved with a group of motorcycle enthusiasts and you don’t call the cops no matter what. I knew he would lose his freedom and then once he got out no doubt I would lose my life in the end he lost his due to the drug use but I always wonder what our lives would have been like if he had stayed straight . The police came once they arrested him he had to stay away for 2 weeks and even before he went to court he was allowed to return how is that effective plus when we went to court he said I hit him ( I didn’t) but then I was charged and had to go to court where it was thrown out but cost our family over 1000 dollar .Why would I ever consider calling them again .There is a real problem that the police only make worse . This is a problem with no solution not without a overhaul on the way police handle it all they do is make money off of the victim’s the beaters and the beaten.