Since empirical research on domestic violence began in the 1970s, it has become clear that without intervention, significant percentages of domestic violence cases escalate into more serious incidents. However, with the exception of cases resulting in homicides, there are no reliable criminal justice statistics that document the rates of serious domestic violence incidents. What, then, are the most effective means--in terms of safety and cost--of protecting victims? Featuring writings from noted contributors, Do Arrests and Restraining Orders Work? grapples with the markedly different results of research and analyses on the effectiveness of arrests and restraining orders. This probing volume examines the proper role of arrest and the degree to which the criminal justice system can rely on restraining orders to prevent domestic and other kinds of violence. Representing a wide array of research methods, the chapters include a variety of perspectives, including those from police, prosecutors, the judiciary, and probation officers. Timely and provocative, Do Arrests and Restraining Orders Work? asks the challenging questions that will help the criminal justice system move toward effective solutions. This volume is an excellent resource for students as well as researchers and academics in criminology and for a wide array of criminal justice professionals, including police management personnel, attorneys, and policymakers.

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