Breaking the Cycle of Family Violence

As empirical research and law enforcement ideology about family violence is changing, the system continues to evolve and become more comprehensive, collaborative and conducive to victims. These victims do not only include the abused but the children who witness and are exposed to family violence. Too many children witness violence within their homes and too many are growing up exhibiting signs of their trauma, including increased substance abuse, school failure,  gang association, anxiety, depression, aggression and many, emulating the behavior, become abusers themselves. Law enforcement professions play an important role in the collaborative effort to help break the cycle of violence.

Although many things are being done in both prevention and intervention of family violence, many things can still be done. Everyone in the chain-of-command, from patrol officers to the chief of police can help decrease the impact of domestic violence in their community. With the right training, initial and continual, all members of the department gain knowledge of the problem and practical, empirically-based, collaborative efforts for breaking the cycle.

Facts

Before looking at how law enforcement can help, here are some statistics:

• Nearly one in four women in the U.S. report experiencing violence by a current or former spouse or boyfriend in their lifetime (Family Violence Prevention Fund)
• 15.5 million children in the U.S. live in homes in which partner violence occurred at least once in the last year, and seven million children live in families in which severe partner violence occurred (Family Violence Prevention Fund)
• In a single day in 2008, 16,458 children were living in a domestic violence shelter or transitional housing facility. Another 6,430 children sought services at a non-residential program (Family Violence Prevention Fund)
• Sixty percent of American children were exposed to violence, crime, or abuse in their homes, schools and communities (USDOJ)
• Almost 1 in 10 American children saw one family member assault another family member, and more than 25 percent had been exposed to family violence during their life (USDOJ)
• Child witnesses of family violence are at a higher risk for substance abuse, failure in school, aggressive behavior and depression. These behaviors can later contribute to violence against future partners and others in their families and communities (IACP)

IACP Summit

In 1997, the International Association of Chiefs of Police met for a summit entitled “Family Violence in America: Breaking the Cycle for Children who Witness.” Participants of the summit which included criminal justice, social, community, education and health professionals, established work groups to develop recommendations for improvements or changes to help “break the intergenerational cycle of family violence.” Although the summit was over fourteen years ago, the principles and guidelines remain valid today. Included in these guidelines were several prevention and intervention principles that must guide all policy development:

• Both prevention initiatives and intervention services are essential for reducing family violence and its traumatic impact on child witnesses
• To be optimally effective-prevention efforts should be community-based, coordinated across agencies and settings, and sustained over time
• To be effective, interventions should be:
  • Introduced as early as possible in the family violence cycle
  • Made available in a timely fashion
  • Readily accessible in a variety of community and agency settings
  • Based on comprehensive assessments of victims, witnesses and family dynamics
  • The least intrusive capable of achieving desired outcomes
  • Build on strengths and resiliencies of families and individuals
  • Culturally sensitive and appropriate
  • Inclusive of follow-up support of families and individuals
  • Based on objective “what works” research findings
• Law enforcement  responses to family violence and child witnesses should:
  • Prioritize protecting children exposed to violence in their homes
  • Fast-track domestic and family violence cases that involve child witnesses
  • Facilitate immediate supportive, therapeutic, and/or medical intervention on behalf of victims and witnesses, even when arrests are not made, through mandatory referral to health agencies
  • Be based on consistent policies and protocols collaboratively developed by all justice system and service provider agencies