The Role Of Domestic Violence In The US

Domestic violence can happen to both men and women, although there are more evidence that shows that women experience more violence than men. Since most of the states in the U.S. have mandated arrests for domestic violence, it is important for the police officers to know and appropriately distinguish the perpetrator and the victim of violence. The gender of the suspect and the victim should not be the only variable that the police officers must consider. Other variables should also be carefully deliberated before making an arrest. Hamilton and Worthen (2010) examined the variables that might be factors in the decision to arrest. There were 8 factors that were investigated in this study: physical injury, previous assault of victim, weapon presence, presence of third party witnesses, protective orders, notification of the police, characteristic of the suspects, and presence of
Out of all the 8 factors mentioned, physical injury might be the most considerable factor that may be taken into account when making a decision to arrest. The police officers making the arrest will most likely arrest the suspect if the victim has visible physical injury. However, the police officers should also consider if the visible physical injury was caused by self-defense, so that they do not mistakenly arrest the victim. It would be hard for the police to determine the suspect or the victim in the situation where there is a presence of alcohol, especially if both are under the influence. Also, most research shows that males are most likely to be under the influence when violence happens compared to females. The researchers listed great factors that might influence the decision to arrest. These factors are important to avoid gender as the primary factor before making arrests. It is substantial to look past the gender of the people involved in the violence and thoroughly consider other predictive