Abstract
We examined whether risks to children of intimate partner violence survivors affected the type of legal assistance accessed. We hypothesized that the level and type of perceived child risk would be associated with whether women sought a protection order in civil court or filed charges against a current or former intimate partner in criminal court. Using data from a sample of predominantly African American women (N=293), we found that some forms of child risk were positively associated with seeking a civil order of protection but negatively associated with pressing criminal charges. Implications for practice, policy, and future research are presented.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 474-495 |
Number of pages | 22 |
Journal | Violence Against Women |
Volume | 22 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 1 2016 |
Keywords
- African American
- children
- criminal justice system
- domestic violence
- help-seeking
- protective order
- women