Loretta J. Stalans

Risk factors for partner violence among a national sample of combat veterans.

In this study, the authors identified potential risk factors for partner violence perpetration among a subsample (n=109) of men who participated in a national study of Vietnam veterans. Partner violent (PV) men with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were compared with PV men without PTSD and nonviolent men with PTSD on family-of-origin variables, psychiatric problems, relationship problems, and war-zone factors. PV men with PTSD were the highest of the 3 groups on every risk factor other than childhood abuse. Group contrasts and a classification tree analysis suggest some potential markers and mechanisms for the association between PTSD and partner violence among military veterans and highlight the need for theory development in this area of inquiry.

Restorative Sentencing: Exploring the Views of the Public

Within the past decade, restorative justice has emerged as a truly global phenomenon. Although retributive justice has dominated the penal landscape, more recently, restorative principles at sentencing have attracted increased attention. Restorative sentencing emphasizes the importance of compensation and reconciliation between victims and offenders and pays less attention to establishing proportionality between the seriousness of the offense and the severity of the sentence imposed. Although voluminous (and proliferating), the scholarly literature on restorative justice has to date neglected one critical issue: public opinion with respect to this justice paradigm. Public opinion researchers too, have generally overlooked this topic. The goal of this paper is to determine which elements of the new paradigm generate public approval, and which features are likely to encounter or provoke public opposition, drawing upon related international research published in English over the past 20 years (1982–2002). The review reveals widespread support for “restorative” sentencing options, such as community service, compensation, and restitution, particularly when applied to young offenders. However, it also seems clear that public support for these alternatives to punitive sentencing options declines as the seriousness of the offence increases, suggesting strong public adherence to the retributive principle of proportionality in sentencing.

Citizens' crime stereotypes, biased recall, and punishment preferences in abstract cases: The educative role of interpersonal sources

Although researchers have noted the importance of understanding how people form punishment preferences about abstract criminal cases, few studies have examined this issue. Using both experimental and survey data, two processes, reliance on an availability heuristic and reliance on a crime stereotype, contributed to punishment preferences. The findings suggest that the biased recall of severe crimes fuels demands for harsher punishment in opinion polls, and that unstable, uninformed opinions partly produce the demands for harsher punishment. These studies also found that information about crime from interpersonal sources can change media driven, unrealistic crime stereotypes and substantially reduce the biased recall of atypical, severe crimes reported in the mass media. Biased recall for more severe cases can be eliminated by including concrete or contextually distinct details in crime stories that contain minor harm. These studies highlight the important role of context in punishment preferences and the important role that interpersonal sources can play in educating the public about the nature of specific offenses.

Dual Arrest Decisions in Domestic Violence Cases: The Influence of Departmental Policies

Dual arrests in family violence cases have increased following passage of proarrest laws. This study examined the relationship between officers’perceptions of their departmental policies and arrest outcomes. Each officer was given 1 of 6 hypothetical scripts that varied as to whether the wife only was injured or the wife and husband were injured. They were then asked what action they would take. Results indicate that officers who believed that their department would support arrest of both parties are more likely to arrest both parties. Officers who perceived that their department encouraged arrest of the primary aggressor only are more likely to arrest the husband only. When both parties were injured, officers were likely to arrest both. Experienced officers were more likely than novice officers to use dual arrest. Implications for the importance of primary aggressor language are discussed.

Gender Differences in Officers' Perceptions and Decisions About Domestic Violence Cases

Abstract Some scholars argue that a greater number of women police officers may improve the plight of battered women through increased arrest rates and referrals to battered shelters. We examine how women (N = 40) and men police officers (N = 214) perceive and respond to a hypothetical realistic domestic violence situation, and three manipulated features of the situation: wifes conduct (normal, hallucinating, drunken); presence of visible injuries on the wife; and antagonism between wife and husband. Women and men did not differ on arrest rates; however, women were more likely to recommend battered shelters and less likely to recommend marriage counseling. These gender differences occurred only for experienced women. Women also assigned more importance to the victims willingness to settle the argument in their arrest decisions. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Public’s and Police Officers’ Interpretation and Handling of Domestic Violence Cases Divergent Realities

The public’s and police officers’interpretation and handling of realistic hypothetical domestic violence cases and their stereotypic views about domestic violence are discussed. A sample of 131 experienced officers, 127 novice officers, and 157 adult laypersons were randomly assigned to read a domestic violence case. Experienced officers were more likely to arrest only the husband than were laypersons or rookie officers even when respondents inferred that the husband was primarily responsible or had used violence before. Experienced officers considered their stereotypic beliefs about battered women’s propensity to use self-defense in arriving at their arrest decision whereas laypersons and rookie officers did not. These findings indicate that the public and police officers have not adopted the feminists’ message that arrest is the best response to handle all domestic violence cases. Policy implications are discussed.

Relationship of Substance Use/Abuse with Psychological and Physical Intimate Partner Violence: Variations Across Living Situations

This study addresses whether the relationship between illicit drug use/abuse measures and intimate partner violence (IPV) varies across socioeconomic status, racial status, and environmental indictors of a drug supportive culture. Data from 19,131 respondents who were living with intimate partners and had not been treated for a substance abuse problem in the last year and participated in the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse were analyzed. Marijuana use/abuse was a stronger predictor of IPV and psychological abuse for minorities, but was not a significant predictor of Caucasians’ IPV. Marijuana use/abuse also was a stronger predictor of IPV for those having a low socioeconomic status, but indicators of a drug supportive culture did not moderate the relationship. Minorities’ marijuana use/abuse increased their yelling and insulting behavior toward each other, and this psychological abuse mediated the effect of marijuana use/abuse on IPV. By contrast, stimulant use, sedative use, and alcohol abuse or dependence had independent direct effects on IPV after controlling for psychological abuse. Implications for research and policy are discussed.

Identifying Subgroups at High Risk of Dropping Out of Domestic Batterer Treatment The Buffering Effects of a High School Education

This study identifies the subgroups of domestic batterers who are at a low or high risk of failing to complete domestic batterer cognitive behavioral treatment. The sample is composed of 355 domestic batterers ordered to complete treatment, with 31.8% not completing treatment. Three subgroups of batterers were identified as having at least a 60% chance of treatment failure: (a) unemployed generalized aggressors, (b) high school dropouts ordered into substance abuse treatment, and (c) unemployed offenders ordered into substance abuse treatment. Furthermore, a high school education, even when offenders are unemployed or living in poverty, buffers the negative effects of a substance abuse problem among court-mandated batterers required to participate in both domestic violence treatment and substance abuse treatment. Two thirds of substance-abusing high school graduates completed both domestic violence and substance abuse treatment, compared to only one third of the substance-abusing high school dropouts. Implications are discussed.

Adult sex offenders on community supervision: a review of recent assessment strategies and treatment

Sex offenders present challenges to treatment providers and probation officers. This article reviews recent developments in assessing risk and gauging their treatment progress. Probation departments in many jurisdictions have recently created specialized sex offender programs that provide intensive supervision and treatment. This article also reviews studies that have carefully evaluated these new probation strategies. In addition, it surveys the literature on treatment effectiveness and the predictors of treatment failure. Finally, the current article discusses directions for future research and implications for professional practice.

Family Harmony or Individual Protection?: Public Recommendations About How Police Can Handle Domestic Violence Situations

Domestic violence situations create tough choices between protecting an individuals safety and fostering family harmony and autonomy. Using a sample of 157 adult residents of Georgia, this study examines how the public wants the police and court to handle domestic violence situations. Respondents read a detailed story about a domestic violence situation and then recommended how the police and court should handle the situation. The majority of respondents wanted the police and the courts to provide referrals to marriage counseling; only 26% of the respondents recommended arrest when the wife had moderately severe injuries. Respondents based their preference for arrest or informal methods on their fairness and on their effectiveness at reducing conflict. These findings suggest that the public may still place more importance on rehabilitative justice than on retributive justice. Moreover, the public recognizes the victims need for protection but still places much importance on family autonomy and harmony. Practical implications and future research directions are discussed.