Citation

Rigakos GS. Violence Against Women 1997; 3(2): 204-216.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1997, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

12294814

Abstract

This study examined how police officers in a municipality in British Columbia, Canada, responded to and enforced court orders to protect wives from abusive husbands. The introduction notes that Canadian women were murdered in domestic settings at a rate of 2/week in 1990, explains the differences between the criminal and civil protective court orders, and blames police indifference on the failure to protect women. Data were collected from 45 police officers via a questionnaire that covered 1) how they reacted to peace bonds and restraining orders in the past, 2) what factors affect arrests for breaches of these orders, 3) what they think about the effectiveness of the orders, and 4) basic demographic information. The respondents generally mistrusted the intent of the research and, therefore, refused to respond to questions about their age or the year they were sworn in. The findings reveal an obvious reluctance to enforce protective court orders, especially civil restraining orders. The officers also exhibited a confusion between peace bonds and other court orders. Despite the fact that their reluctance to enforce civil orders exceeded their reluctance to enforce criminal orders, the police officers generally suggested that a vulnerable woman secure a civil rather than criminal order against her husband. Arrests were most likely made in cases with evidence of forced entry, a violent history, and signs of a struggle and were unlikely if the woman was intoxicated or the police believed she invited the man into the house. Because the law clearly mandates police action, enforcement simply requires improved police procedures.

Language: en