Hitting Home: Voices of Domestic Violence (Conclusion)

Lessons Learned

The voices heard in Hitting Home are loud and clear, yet they do not tell the whole story of domestic violence. In truth, they can not, for there are too many voices remaining to be heard. Nevertheless, when read in their entirety–and supplemented by the interviews not presented in this book–they do provide an insight into the complex series of relationships that comprise the domestic violence system.

Some of the relationships–such as those between victims and perpetrators–are clearly dysfunctional. Others–such as those between the police and prosecutors–are sometimes strained.

And what is apparent is that all relationships get tested in the course of navigating through the domestic violence system.

What can be learned from standing back and dispassionately evaluating these relationships?

•The sheer number of domestic violence "calls for service" puts extraordinary pressure on all parts of the system.

It often begins with telephone calls to police or 911 operators——reports of domestic violence are the most frequent request for police assistance in Phoenix. Patrol officers spend as much as 100,000 hours per year on these calls, averaging over 1_ hours per call. This is as serious strain on resources. It is time not spent handling other calls for service such as burglaries, assaults, and homicides.

After each call, a patrol officer must fill out a report. Each report must then be reviewed by a detective to determine whether sufficient evidence exists to pursue filing the case with a city or county prosecutor. Frequently, additional investigation is required. Each case is then reviewed by an attorney to determine whether or not there is sufficient evidence to successfully prosecute–with or without the victim’s testimony.

At this stage, "legal triage" seems to take place. Only the most serious cases backed up by significant evidence warrant prosecution as a felony; other cases are reduced to misdemeanors. Prosecutors assigned to handle the misdemeanors, consequently, find themselves overwhelmed, and some cases slip through the cracks. The perpetrator gets only "a slap on the hand;" the victim gets angry.

Services for victims are spread exceedingly thin. Not enough shelters or beds exist to accommodate the women who need this alternative to escape an abusive home. Not enough counselors are available to provide them with the education and support they often need in order to turn their lives around. Not enough court advocates are in place to help them understand the legal system into which they are entering.

Offenders services are of questionable efficacy. The usual treatment is a 12—week program of mandatory group/individual counseling. It may help some individual perpetrators, but may not be enough to counteract a lifetime of learned behavior. And many offenders receive no counseling at all.

With all parts of the system bursting from sheer overload, there is a widely recognized need for additional human and financial resources–more officers, more detectives, more training, more attorneys, more shelters, more beds, and more counselors for victims, offenders, and their children. These resources are all perceived as part of the solution for "fixing" the system.

And yet, while more resources might alleviate the strain on the system, resources alone do not address what many believe to be the heart of the matter:

•Domestic violence is unlikely to diminish until it is recognized and treated as a societal problem–not just an individual problem.

As interviewees repeated over and over, domestic violence is about people cruelly exercising power and control over others–whether verbally, emotionally, or physically. It is not just about individually unacceptable behavior; it is about socially unacceptable behavior.

Unfortunately, a common public perception appears to be that domestic violence is a personal business. Bringing it out into the open is inappropriately "airing dirty laundry." Even battered victims usually won’t go to the police unless the abuse becomes noticeably violent or it happens in public.

Virtually everyone interviewed agreed that the incidence of domestic violence must be reduced. They further agreed that the key is zero tolerance for abusive behavior. Attempts to strengthen prosecution——for example, through "victimless prosecution" where the state proceeds without the testimony of a victim——represent one effort along this path. Many believe that a strong stance towards prosecution will deter potential offenders.

But even more important, perhaps, than the need to prosecute violent behaviors is the need to prevent violence from occurring in the first place. To accomplish this: •Public awareness of domestic violence must increase, and a public outcry must be heard.

Many of those interviewed believe that the system will not change easily from within. They suggested that the catalyst must be public outrage. In other words, until domestic violence is perceived as a crime–much as gang violence, rape, and drunken driving have come to be perceived–dramatic results may be slow in coming. Education for everyone, including the public—at—large, is considered the first and foremost solution to the problem.

Above all, interviewees across the spectrum emphasized the need to educate children. Arizona statistics indicate that children are present in approximately one quarter of all domestic violence cases. If violent behavior is truly learned at home, one way to stop the continuation of violence is to teach children that it is unacceptable.Hitting Home: Voices of Domestic Violence was conceived, researched, and written by:
Dr. Judith A. Vandegrift
Research Specialist, Principal

and

Linda Dickey, Research Associate

Luis Fernandez, Research Associate

Jane Wabnick, Consultant and

Janell Youtsey, Consultant

with the assistance of

Rick Heffernon, Editor

Thanks go to all of the individuals and organizations who participated in this study and allowed their voices to be heard. Special thanks go to staff of the Phoenix Police Department, Sojourner Center, Southwest Behavioral Health Services, Justice Services, Inc., City of Phoenix, City Prosecutor’s Office, Maricopa County, Attorney General’s Office.

Stories herein are based on interview transcripts. Transcripts and quotes have been edited to enhance the readability and clarity of the document. In a majority of cases, interviewees had a chance to review and approve their story prior to inclusion. Any factual errors of omission or commission are the sole responsibility of the authors.

The document was prepared by the Morrison Institute for Public Policy, School of Public Affairs, Arizona State University, under contract with the Phoenix Police Department. Permission to reprint is required in writing from Morrison Institute only if this material is to be reprinted in another form such as a book, newsletter, or journal.

Permission to quote from or reproduce materials from this publication is granted when due acknowledgment is made.

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