Amy Thistlethwaite

Reconsidering Domestic Violence Recidivism: Conditioned Effects of Legal Controls by Individual and Aggregate Levels of Stake in Conformity

Social scientists examining whether stake in conformity conditions the deterrent effect of arrest for domestic violence recidivism have applied criminological theory to an important criminal justice issue. We extend this research with a discussion and multi-level analysis of the possible interplay between court dispositions and (a) an offenders stake in conformity, and (b) the proportion of “higher stake” residents in an offenders census tract of residence. The prevalence of re-arrest for intimate assault (misdemeanor and felony) is examined for 3110 suspects of misdemeanor intimate assault in Cincinnati. Findings reveal a significant main effect involving higher re-arrest likelihoods for arrested suspects with no formal charges filed against them. Results for the conditioned effects of court dispositions reveal significantly lower re-arrest likelihoods for higher stake offenders undergoing a counseling program (a predicted relationship), and significantly lower re-arrest likelihoods for lower stake offenders serving probation and/or jail (opposite to the predicted relationship). At the neighborhood-level, sentences of probation and/or jail correspond with significantly lower re-arrest likelihoods for offenders living in neighborhoods with more residentially stable populations (as predicted). We discuss the implications of our study for future research.

Severity of Dispositions and Domestic Violence Recidivism

The effects of court dispositions on rearrest for domestic violence was examined for a sample of adults arrested for misdemeanor domestic violence in Hamilton County (Cincinnati), Ohio. Arrestees were tracked for one year after their sentences, if any, had been served. Qualitatively, more severe sentences (e.g., jail combined with probation versus either probation or jail) corresponded with lower recidivism likelihoods. Also, these sentences appeared most effective for persons with greater stakes in conformity (i.e., those less transient in terms of residence and employment and those living in neighborhoods with higher socioeconomic status).

Court Dispositions and Rearrest for Intimate Assault

Researchers examining court dispositions and domestic violence recidivism have argued that disposition effectiveness varies by offender characteristics. We extended this research with analyses of 3,662persons arrested for misdemeanor assaults on intimates in Hamilton County, Ohio. The incidence, prevalence, and time to rearrest are examined for arrestees with no filed charges, subsequently dropped charges, court-mandated treatment, probation, jail, and split sentences. No filed charges and probation correspond with significant differences in all outcomes across the entire sample. Moreover, every disposition coincides with differences in rearrest for particular subgroups of arrestees (distinguished by violent histories, substance abuse, cohabitation, race, education, residential stability, and characteristics of neighborhood populations).

Changing marital status and desistance from intimate assault.

Objectives. This study examined whether the odds of subsequent domestic violence by married men are reduced when women file for divorce, and whether these odds are further influenced by the timing of divorce proceedings. Methods. The sample included 703 married men arrested for misdemeanor assaults on spouses in Hamilton County (Cincinnati), Ohio. Logistic regression models were estimated to determine whether men with divorces filed against them (after entry into the study) were less likely to be re-arrested during a fixed 24-month follow-up period. A survival analysis of differences in time to re-arrest for men with filed divorces versus those without was also conducted, as well as an analysis of the speed of divorce filings and re-arrest. Results. Only 24% of all offenders had divorce papers filed in court during the study period. Divorce filings coincided with (1) lower likelihoods of re-arrest for intimate assault, (2) lower likelihoods of re-arrest during each month of follow-up, and (3) longer delays to re-arrest (for those who ultimately re-offended). Shorter delays to divorce filings (after initial arrest) were more effective for reducing likelihoods of subsequent assault, particularly within the first 11 months after entry into the study. Conclusions. Findings have implications for victim support services offered through domestic violence courts. Evidence from this and future studies may provide additional incentives for support personnel to identify and overcome the barriers preventing many women from successfully filing for divorce. However, the study should be seen as offering preliminary findings on a potentially important issue.