Police response to domestic violence - From victim choice to victim empowerment?

This article explores the neglected question of why victims of domestic vio lence call the police, and how useful the police response is to them, We fo und that many women do not seek criminal sanctions because sanctions are un likely to help to end the violence. This calls into question the value, to victims, of mandatory a arrest policies which require prosecution decisions to be based on evidential concerns alone. These policies are based (naivel y, we argue) on assumptions about the interests of victims. Policies which give effect to victim preferences are also naive in ignoring the circumstan ces which shape victim preferences. We therefore argue for an approach whic h would empower victims to make choices which are less coerced (by their ci rcumstances) than is usual at present. Elements of this approach can be fou nd in the practices of some domestic violence units.