Criminal Investigation

Investigation and Intervention of Family and Domestic Violence

Length of Seminar: 2 Days
Instructor: Mike J. Coker

Course Overview:

During this two (2) day course, officers will be presented ideas and techniques to assist them in dealing with domestic violence to include spouse abuse, child abuse and elder abuse.

The letter of the law has changed over the past century. Society no longer has a legal right to act violently towards people with whom they live. But the spirit of the law remains ambivalent, reflecting the mixed feelings of many in our society. Many people, both rich and poor, will believe that family fights should remain a private matter. However, recent developments including the feminist movement and increased attention given to rights and needs of victims, have placed greater pressure on the police and department of social services to treat domestic assaults as seriously as they treat other assaults.

Finally, domestic violence is not limited to husband - wife or boyfriend - girlfriend confrontations, but can include other family members, therefore material will be presented on child and elder abuse as well.

Nature and Scope Of Domestic Violence:

1. Researchers estimate that over 2 million women each year are assaulted by their husband or boyfriend (National Crime Survey 1978-1982).
2. Approximately 39% of assaults on wives were serious (Straus and Gelles 1986).
3. More than 50% of American couples have experienced one or more incidents of assault and battery during the course of their marriage (Field and Straus 1989)
.
4. Spouse abuse accounts for more injuries to women than automobile accidents, muggings, and rapes combined (Stark and Flitcraft 1988).
5. Studies show that level of injuries in domestic assaults is greater than in stranger assaults. The National Crime Survey indicates that injuries inflicted in domestics are just as serious or more serious than injuries inflicted in 90% of all violent felonies.
6. 1.5 million women require medical attention annually as a result of domestic violence (Straus 1986). More than half of these necessitate hospital visits or stays
.
7. 32% of battered women will be revictimized within a relatively short period of time (6 months) (Langan and Innes 1986).
8. The risk of battering increases with separation or divorce (Stark et al. 1981).
9. More than half the murder victims whose cases were prosecuted in 1993 had a romantic or social relationship with their murderers. A third of the female murder victims were killed by their spouse or romantic partner compared to11% of the male victims
.
10. In a survey conducted in 1992, 34% of men and women responding reported witnessing a man beating his wife or girlfriend (EDK Associates, New York).