Under the radar: The widespread use of `out of court resolutions' in policing domestic violence and abuse in the United Kingdom

Westmarland, N., Johnson, K. and McGlynn, C. (2018) Under the radar: The widespread use of `out of court resolutions' in policing domestic violence and abuse in the United Kingdom. British Journal of Criminology, 58(1), pp. 1-16. (doi: 10.1093/bjc/azx004)

Abstract

The suitability of `out of court resolutions' (restorative justice and community resolutions) in cases of domestic abuse is theoretically contentious and empirically under-researched. This study investigated the nature and extent of out of court resolutions for domestic abuse using the Freedom of Information Act. Out of court resolutions were used by every UK police force except Scotland to respond to over 5,000 domestic abuse incidents (including intimate partner abuse) in 2014. Some of these incidents related to offences with sentencing tariffs up to life imprisonment. Such widespread use has been taking place `under the radar' in stark contrast to police guidance, has immediate implications for policy and practice, and fundamentally shifts the research terrain in this field.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Johnson, Dr Kelly
• Authors: Westmarland, N., Johnson, K., and McGlynn, C.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Sociology Anthropology and Applied Social Sciences
• Journal Name: British Journal of Criminology
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• ISSN: 0007-0955
• ISSN (Online): 1464-3529
• Published Online: 28 February 2017
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © The Author(s) 2017
• First Published: First published in British Journal of Criminology 58(1): 1-16
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License