Making Arrests in Domestic Violence Cases: What Police Should Know

By David Hirschel, Ph.D.

Police have been making more arrests in domestic violence incidents. In 2000, about 50 percent of intimate partner violence cases1 resulted in arrests, compared to 7 to 15 percent in the 1970s and 1980s. Research has revealed that some aspects of the change cause problems: too many victims are arrested and too few cases are accepted by prosecutors. The problem appears to arise in part from the practice of dual arrests - situations in which police arrest both parties involved in the altercation rather than trying to identify the primary aggressor. About 2 percent of domestic violence incidents result in dual arrests.

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http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/225458.pdf