* Mandatory arrest refers to any state or local law or police policy which requires a police officer to make an arrest when responding to a domestic violence call if there is probable cause to believe any violence has occurred. *... more
* Mandatory arrest refers to any state or local law or police policy which requires a police officer to make an arrest when responding to a domestic violence call if there is probable cause to believe any violence has occurred. * Mandatory arrest policies have been shown to only slightly lower repeat offending rates, in particular for individuals who are married and employed. * Arrest may actually increase the risk of retaliation by abusers with a prior history of violence, or among those who are unemployed and have little to lose. * Mandatory arrest policies may be disempowering for survivors by discouraging them from calling the police. This is particularly true for minority women already weary of the fairness of the criminal justice system. * Mandatory arrest policies has been shown to result in more women being arrested, often as cases of dual arrest where both offender and survivor are taken into custody. * No-drop prosecution policies usually mean that the state or city presses assault charges against the domestic violence offender rather than the victim. The survivor’s participation is not required. * Research finds that no-drop policies are costly, not immediately protective, and may even have the opposite effect as intended by discouraging women from reporting future violence.
