Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Availability

Thesis (UNI Access Only)

Keywords

Family violence--Prevention; Duluth Model;

Abstract

The Domestic Abuse Intervention Project, otherwise known as the Duluth Model, was created in 1981 in Duluth, Minnesota. The project was created by battered women’s activists as a policy solution to dissatisfaction with the criminal justice response to domestic violence, and requires a community coordinated intervention. The 1994 passage of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) provided critical funding for community responses such as the Duluth Model. This project is a policy analysis of the application of the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project in a mid-sized Midwestern police department. Seven semi-structured in-depth interviews and seventy hours of participant non-participant observations in this study were conducted with law enforcement and other practitioners. My analysis using grounded theory revealed that the department does well with the procedural and evidentiary aspects of the Duluth model, but a focus on victim safety is lacking. My findings also indicate that while the department has implemented policies and procedures of the Duluth model, certain aspects of the traditional police ideology still exist. Finally, officer perceptions regarding domestic violence victims and calls for service are generally negative. I conclude my analysis with policy implications. The department should restructure policies and procedures to increase emphasis on victim safety. The department should also invest in more training for officers on the dynamics of domestic violence.

Year of Submission

2013

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology

First Advisor

Ronald (Joe) Gorton

Date Original

2013

Object Description

1 PDF file (v, 79 pages)

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

Download
Off-Campus Download

Comments?

Share

COinS