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01-04-2009 | Original Article

The Police Reporting Behavior of Intimate Partner Violence Victims

Authors: Caroline Akers, Catherine Kaukinen

Published in: Journal of Family Violence | Issue 3/2009

Abstract

In the current research, we draw on Canadian national data to examine the police reporting decisions of married and cohabiting intimate partner violence victims. Our analyses examine how police notification decisions are influenced by the demographic characteristics of victims and incident-specific factors. We find that the victims who contact the police more often live in a cohabiting relationship and with children. In contrast to predictions, we find that visible minority women more often call the police. Income, education, and employment status do not appear to shape the police reporting decisions of women. Finally, women who call the police are also likely to have experienced severe forms of violence including threats with weapons, injury, and the destruction of their property.

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Title: The Police Reporting Behavior of Intimate Partner Violence Victims
Authors: Caroline Akers
Catherine Kaukinen
Publication date: 01-04-2009
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Journal of Family Violence / Issue 3/2009
Print ISSN: 0885-7482
Electronic ISSN: 1573-2851
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-008-9213-4

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The Police Reporting Behavior of Intimate Partner Violence Victims

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