Emergency Calls Reveal the Importance of Arrests in Reducing Repeat Domestic Violence
BIG-DATA-BASED ECONOMIC INSIGHTS
Key Messages
- Domestic violence is a pervasive threat to women’s well-being worldwide and many victims are repeatedly abused by their partners
- One possible but controversial police measure to deal with this problem is to arrest suspects immediately on the spot
- Geo-coded 999 emergency call data can be used not only to identify victims and repeat offenders, but also to monitor the impact of officers’ actions at the scene
- Recent research shows that arresting the marginal suspect is effective and reduces the number of repeat assaults by about 50 percent in the following year
- Arrests contribute to a cooling-off period in the short term, in addition to deterring abuse in the long term
Domestic violence is a serious human rights violation affecting roughly one-third of women worldwide. In addition to the severe humanitarian consequences, there is also a significant economic impact not only for the individual, but also for society and the economy as a whole. This article offers evidence supporting the role of arrests in disrupting the repetitive pattern of domestic violence. They propose that an effective police response involves lowering the threshold for arrests and taking resolute measures against perpetrators.
Sofia Amaral, Gordon B. Dahl, Timo Hener, Victoria Kaiser and Helmut Rainer: “Emergency Calls Reveal the Importance of Arrests in Reducing Repeat Domestic Violence,” EconPol Forum 24 (6), CESifo, Munich, 2023.