Do Arrests and Restraining Orders Work?

In this provocative contribution to the debate on which interventions are most effective in reducing domestic violence, a wide range of research methods and analyses are presented and a number of issues raised. These include: whether the criminal justice response to domestic violence is inadequate; whether there is a conflict of interest between society and the victim of violence; and whether alternative means should be used to deter chronic batterers who are undeterred by the criminal justice response.

Table of Contents:
Introduction - Eve S Buzawa and Carl G Buzawa Identifying Offenders in Criminal Justice Research on Domestic Assualt - Murray A Straus Constraints against Family Violence - Richard J Gelles How Well Do They Work? Does Arrest Deter Domestic Violence? - Janell D Schmidt and Lawrence W Sherman Realities and Implications of the Charlotte Spouse Abuse Experiment - J David Hirschel and Ira W Hutchison The Preventive Conceit - Peter K Manning The Black Box in Market Context Battered Women and the Criminal Justice System - Barbara Hart Mandatory Arrest of Batterers - Evan Stark A Reply to Its Critics The Role of Arrest in Domestic versus Stranger Assault - Eve S Buzawa, Thomas L Austin and Carl G Buzawa Is There a Difference? Prosecution Response to Domestic Violence - Donald J Rebovich Results of a Survey of Large Jurisdictions Re-Abuse in a Population of Court-Restrained Male Batterers - Andrew R Klein Why Restraining Orders Don′t Work Effects of Restraining Orders on Domestic Violence Victims - Adele Harrell and Barbara E Smith Future Directions for Criminal Justice Policy on Domestic Violence - David A Ford et al

About the Author :
Eve Buzawa, Ph.D. is Professor Emerita in the School of Criminology & Justice Studies at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. She served as Chair of the School from 1995 – 2013, and Director of the School from September, 2013-June, 2016 when she retired. Dr. Buzawa received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Rochester and her Master′s and Doctoral degrees from the School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University. Dr. Buzawa has authored and edited numerous books, journal articles, and monographs in the field of domestic violence.  She has also served as a Principal Investigator on several federally funded research projects as well as directing numerous state funded research and training projects. Dr. Buzawa’s expertise encompasses the issue of domestic violence in the United States and globally. She has served as a consultant, trainer, and speaker to numerous agencies and organizations throughout the world and was the recipient of a Fulbright Award in 2016. Dr. Buzawa is Past President of the Society of Police and Criminal Psychology, Past President of the Northeast Association of Criminal Justice Sciences, and past Board Member for the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. Carl G. Buzawa is an attorney in private practice. Currently, he is Senior Vice President—Contracts, Legal, and Compliance at Textron Systems. He received his BA from the University of Rochester, his MA from the University of Michigan, and his JD from Harvard Law School. With Eve S. Buzawa, he is the coauthor of numerous books and articles on the topic of domestic violence.