Alissa Pollitz Worden

Attitudes and Beliefs About Domestic Violence: Results of a Public Opinion Survey II. Beliefs About Causes

This report presents findings from a public opinion survey designed to measure beliefs about the causes of domestic violence (DV) based on telephone interviews with 1,200 residents across six New York State communities. Findings reveal substantial diversity and complexity among beliefs and interesting similarities and differences across open- and close-ended questions regarding explanations for partner abuse. Most respondents think about the causes of violence in the context of individual problems, relationships, and families, not as a problem with roots in our society or culture. Few believe that women are the cause of their own abuse, one fourth still believe that some women want to be abused, and most believe that women can end abusive relationships. Secondhand experiences with DV were associated with some beliefs about causes of abuse, and gender, age, education, and race were associated with certain beliefs in predictable ways.

Attitudes and Beliefs About Domestic Violence: Results of a Public Opinion Survey I. Definitions of Domestic Violence, Criminal Domestic Violence, and Prevalence

This study reports analyses and findings from a public opinion survey designed to explore beliefs about domestic violence (DV)—what it is, when it is against the law, and how prevalent it is. The project interviewed 1,200 residents from six New York communities. The analyses reveal substantial firsthand and secondhand experience with DV and strong consensus that acts of physical aggression should be labeled as DV, but substantially less certainty about the illegality of the abusive behaviors. Overall, the respondents were less inclined to define women’s aggressive behavior in pejorative or unlawful terms than men’s. Respondents believed that DV was common in their communities, and that it affected a significant minority of couples. Multivariate analyses provide little support for conventional wisdom about the impact of socioeconomic background on tolerance for or knowledge about DV, although gender, generation, and secondhand familiarity with DV incidents play a role in opinions and beliefs.

What Difference Does a Lawyer Make? Impacts of Early Counsel on Misdemeanor Bail Decisions and Outcomes in Rural and Small Town Courts:

Recent court decisions and state legislation have highlighted the significance of ensuring that criminal defendants are represented by counsel at their first appearances in court, where judges make critical decisions on pretrial release, bail, and detention. Yet many jurisdictions do not routinely provide counsel to indigent defendants at this stage. We hypothesize that when defendants are represented by counsel at first appearance (CAFA), they are more likely to be released on recognizance, are less likely to have high bail set, and are consequently less likely to be jailed pending disposition. We explore the impact of lawyers’ presence by comparing pretrial decisions and bail outcomes across samples of misdemeanor cases in three rural counties in upstate New York: cases with and without CAFA. We find that these counties saw shifts in decisions or outcomes. We consider the implications of these findings for future research, court practices, and public policy.

Criminal Justice Policy Across the United States: Due Process in the Punitive Turn

Students of criminal justice policy and politics generally agree that the past three decades have witnessed a dramatic shift toward harsh policies and practices in the United States.1 Capital punishment has returned to common usage, rehabilitationist policies have been turned to punitive purposes, and severe sentencing2 legislation has been passed in most states. Incarceration rates have risen dramatically, accompanied by record levels of spending on law enforcement, the courts, and corrections. David Garland has named this policy-shift “the punitive turn,” and a growing body of literature explores its manifestations, unintended consequences, and possible causes.3