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| Those of us who were working within the criminal justice system during the early 1980's remember how it used to be before domestic violence was taken seriously. The policy of police departments throughout the United States was to treat domestic violence as a matter that should not involve the courts. When responding to domestic disturbances, police officers were trained to simply "keep the peace." Standard policy for police officers responding to these calls was to first break up the fight and then to tell one of the parties (usually the man), to leave the house for the evening so that things could cool off. Police officers were specifically trained that they should not make arrests in these types of cases, since they were "civil matters." Obviously, the policy and practice of not making arrests was flawed. Victims of domestic violence were afforded almost no protection and many people were seriously hurt as a result. Fortunately, things began to change during the mid 1980's as a result of a couple of cases that caught national attention. Movies such as the "Burning Bed," starring Farrah Fawcett, woke up Americans to the problem of domestic violence and challenged our cultural beliefs about these cases. Domestic violence was no longer that dirty little secret families had to keep. Suddenly, it was recognized in mainstream America that victims of domestic violence deserved protection. Consequently, law enforcement's method of dealing with domestic violence also changed. Police departments throughout the nation implemented policies requiring officers to hand out pamphlets to victims of domestic violence that explained their rights to move to a shelter and to press charges. Also, when victims of domestic violence incidents told the officers that they wanted to press charges, officers would take their complaints seriously and would usually place the perpetrator under arrest. Victims of domestic violence were finally listened to when they desired prosecution. This shift in policy created more work for police departments and the courts, but was generally welcomed by professionals who cared about protecting victims of domestic violence. |
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