Longitudinal Study of a Cohort of Batterers Arraigned in a Massachusetts District Court, 1995-2004 (ICPSR 4543)
Version Date: Feb 23, 2007 View help for published
Principal Investigator(s): View help for Principal Investigator(s)
Douglas Wilson, BOTEC Analysis Corporation;
Andrew Klein, BOTEC Analysis Corporation
https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR04543.v1
Version V1
Summary View help for Summary
This longitudinal study, a follow-up to RESPONSE TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN THE QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS DISTRICT COURT, 1995-1997 (ICPSR 3076), examined the relationship between the actions of a district court in eastern Massachusetts and a cohort of men arrested for domestic abuse between February 1995 and March 1996. Using criminal history records, this study followed the criminal behavior of 342 men until December 2004. Some of the variables in Part 1, Arrest Data, include the dates of arrests, dispositions, and restraining orders issued, the arrest charge, disposition of the case, and the relationship between the offender and the victim. In Part 2, Recidivism Data, variables include the age at first arrest, date of arrest and time to subsequent arrests, arrest charge, length of criminal career, and whether the offender is a recidivist.
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Funding View help for Funding
Subject Terms View help for Subject Terms
Geographic Coverage View help for Geographic Coverage
Smallest Geographic Unit View help for Smallest Geographic Unit
None
Restrictions View help for Restrictions
Access to these data is restricted. Users interested in obtaining these data must complete a Restricted Data Use Agreement, specify the reasons for the request, and obtain IRB approval or notice of exemption for their research.
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Date of Collection View help for Date of Collection
Study Purpose View help for Study Purpose
The purpose of this study was to reflect on the effects of the operation of a model judicial domestic violence program on the criminal desistance of the men in the cohort. The study describes the offenders, their domestic violence and other criminal offenses and the response of the Court.
Study Design View help for Study Design
This longitudinal study, a follow-up to RESPONSE TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN THE QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS DISTRICT COURT, 1995-1997 (ICPSR 3076), examined the relationship between a proactive judicial domestic violence program and the desistance of the criminal activities of a cohort of men arrested for domestic violence. An eastern Massachusetts district court administered the domestic violence program. The study followed the criminal behavior of 342 men that were originally arrested for domestic violence within the court's jurisdiction between February 1995 and March 1996. Using criminal history records, this study followed the criminal behavior of the cohort until December 2004. First, researchers accessed the state's criminal history file, which contains a complete record of all Massachusetts court arraignments by charge. Consequently, researchers were able to track all defendant arrests that resulted in court arraignments through 2004. The researchers also accessed individual court criminal and civil records manually maintained by court clerk-magistrates. These records provide victim and defendant information and copies of issued restraining orders.
Sample View help for Sample
The study includes 342 men arrested for domestic violence within the jurisdiction of an eastern Massachusetts district court between February 1995 and March 1996.
Universe View help for Universe
All persons arrested for domestic violence within the jurisdiction of an eastern Massachusetts district court between February 1995 and March 1996.
Unit(s) of Observation View help for Unit(s) of Observation
Data Source View help for Data Source
The data were obtained from the Massachusetts state criminal history file and individual courts' criminal and civil records manually maintained by court clerk-magistrates.
Data Type(s) View help for Data Type(s)
Mode of Data Collection View help for Mode of Data Collection
Description of Variables View help for Description of Variables
Part 1, Arrest Data, variables include the dates of arrests, dispositions, and restraining orders issued, the arrest charge, disposition of the case, and time between the arrests. Part 1 also includes variables on the number of previous crimes such as property crimes, alcohol or drug crimes, disorderly conduct, sex crimes, and motor vehicle crimes, as well as the number of times the offender has been on probation and the number of terms in a county correctional facility. Other variables include offender age at study arrest, offender date of birth, relationship of the offender to the victim, and if the victim in subsequent arrests was the same as the initial arrest victim. Part 2, Recidivism Data, variables include the relationship between the offender and victim, age at first arrest, age at study arrest, if the offender has a concurrent domestic violence case pending, date of arrest, and time to subsequent arrests. Part 2 also includes variables on the arrest charge (domestic violence or other), length of criminal career, and if the offender is a domestic violence recidivist or other recidivist.
Response Rates View help for Response Rates
Not applicable
Presence of Common Scales View help for Presence of Common Scales
None
HideOriginal Release Date View help for Original Release Date
2007-02-23
Version History View help for Version History
- Wilson, Douglas and Andrew Klein. LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF A COHORT OF BATTERERS ARRAIGNED IN A MASSACHUSETTS DISTRICT COURT, 1995-2004. ICPSR04543-v1. Cambridge, MA: BOTEC Analysis Corporation [producer], 2006. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2007-02-23. http://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR04543.v1
2007-02-23 ICPSR data undergo a confidentiality review and are altered when necessary to limit the risk of disclosure. ICPSR also routinely creates ready-to-go data files along with setups in the major statistical software formats as well as standard codebooks to accompany the data. In addition to these procedures, ICPSR performed the following processing steps for this data collection:
- Standardized missing values.
- Checked for undocumented or out-of-range codes.
Notes
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