Examining the Impact of Jail Sanctions on Recidivism for Domestic Violence Probationers

Domestic violence (also known as intimate partner violence [IPV]) has been recognized as a serious social and public health issue. Domestic violence encompasses violence within intimate relationships (e.g., marital, partners, former partners) that includes physical, emotional, sexual, and financial abuse. Over the course of the past 40 years, the criminal justice system has worked to find the best responses to deter IPV. Many of the first critical justice system changes began in the 1980s with policing efforts, such as mandatory arrest (e.g., Sherman & Berk, 1984). Since the 1990s, more attention has been focused on criminal courts, with many jurisdictions establishing domestic violence courts and judicial monitoring (e.g., Gover et al., 2003). In fact, the number of domestic violence courts grew to over 300 by 2012 (Strong et al., 2016). Similar to other problem-solving courts, these courts typically involve ongoing court appearances before a judge to review compliance with treatment participation and supervision restrictions (Labriola et al., 2005). If offenders violate the terms of their supervision or fail to attend a mandated program, the judge can determine them to be noncompliant, which triggers a host of sanctions available to judges including verbal reprimand, increased court appearances, short jail stays, or revocation from the program (Rempel et al., 2008). This judicial oversight allows for swift and certain punishments for noncompliance and may encourage treatment program completion (see Labriola et al., 2005; Taxman, 2002).