U.S. flag
      An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.
        Here's how you know
      Here's how you know**Official websites use .gov**
            
            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
      **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
            
            A **lock** (
            A locked padlock
            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Menu

      
        close

            
            
                                              About NIJ
        
                    
  
          About NIJ
      
    
          The NIJ Director
          How NIJ Is Organized
          Mission and Guiding Principles
          Research and Development Process
          Strategic Framework
          Assessments of NIJ
          Annual Reports & Reports to Congress
          Staff Directory
          Funding & Awards
        
                    
  
          Funding & Awards
      
    
          Current Funding
          Forthcoming Funding
          Expired Funding
          Awards: Listing of Funded Projects
          Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
          Fellowship & Student Programs
          Travel Scholarships
          NIJ Challenge Program
          Library & Multimedia
        
                    
  
          Library & Multimedia
      
    
          NIJ Journal
          Podcasts
          Publications Listing
          Multimedia Listing
          Rated Practices on CrimeSolutions
          Rated Programs on CrimeSolutions
          Software & Databases
          Datasets
          Patents
          Topics
        
                    
  
          Topics
      
    
          Article Listing
          Corrections
          Courts
          Crime Prevention
          Crimes
          Drugs and Crime
          Equipment and Technology
          Forensic Sciences
          Youth Justice
          Justice System Reform
          Law Enforcement
          Tribal Crime and Justice
          Victims of Crime
          Events
        
                    
  
          Events
      
    
          NIJ 2024 Research Conference
          Scheduled Events
          On-Demand Events
          Research Meetings & Workshops
          NIJ-Hosted Online Training

                            
                                About
          Contact Us
          Subscribe
          Topics A-Z
                  Share
FacebookXLinkedInRedditPinterestEmail Home
                            Library & Multimedia
 The Safety and Accountability Audit
NCJ Number
              252441

Author(s)
          Ellen  Pence;
                        Dorothy  Smith
Date Published

October 2004
Length
              12 pages
Annotation
              Based on the concept of institutional ethnography, this paper provides instruction in the rationale and methodology of a safety and accountability audit of agencies involved in addressing cases of intimate partner violence (IPV).
Abstract
              Institutional ethnography as a research approach was developed by Canadian sociologist Dorothy Smith (1987). Researchers in institutional ethnography are concerned about developing methods that enable practitioners to improve their understanding of the institutional order that sets the parameters and features of their activities in achieving the stated goals of the organization for which they work. The network of agencies that respond to IPV victims and hold perpetrators accountable consists of layers of legal, bureaucratic, and professional structures and processes that impact what happens in such cases. Institutional ethnography traces these processes as sequences of institutional activity in which people participate at various levels and capacities. Using institutional ethnography to achieve social change involves explaining how practitioners' work has been organized to standardize the ways in which the institutions for which they work act on IPV cases. The two questions asked in such an audit are the following: 1) How is the case being managed by workers in the system in ways that produce problematic outcomes for IPV victims? 2) How are workers organized to account for and improve victim safety and offender accountability? Answering these questions involves the creation of an audit team that can identify specific practices that produce poor outcomes regarding victim safety and offender accountability in IPV cases. Such an audit will focus on how the work routines of 911 operators, police officers, jailers, prosecutors, judges, and other practitioners are organized to achieve victim safety and offender accountability at every point of interaction with institutions that impact the case.
      
  
          Additional Details
Agencies
        NIJ


  
  
        
  Publication Type
        Report (Technical Assistance)
                                Report (Grant Sponsored)
                                Issue Overview
                                Instructional Material
    
  
  
Date Published: October 1, 2004
    
          Downloads
        
                      PDF

Side navigation
  

        

  
  
              NIJ Journal
    
      
            
            
            
      Podcasts
    
      
            
            
            
      Publications Listing
    
      
            
            
            
      Multimedia Listing
    
      
            
            
            
      Rated Practices on CrimeSolutions
    
      
            
            
            
      Rated Programs on CrimeSolutions
    
      
            
            
            
      Software & Databases
    
      
            
            
            
      Datasets
    
      
            
            
            
      PatentsRelated Topics
        
                Courts
        Criminal justice system effectiveness
        Evaluation Criteria
        Evaluation Measures
        Evaluation Techniques



  
Similar Publications
        
                      A liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry method for quantification of up to eighteen cannabinoids in hemp-derived products
                  A Capillary Electrophoresis Method for Identifying Forensically Relevant Body Fluids Using miRNAs
                  Examining Officer Support for and Perceived Effects of Police Consolidation
 Top

      National Institute of Justice

        
        
                        About NIJ
                    About NIJ
      
    
                  How NIJ Is Organized
      
    
                  NIJ Director
      
    
                  Research Disclaimer
      
    
                  Funding & Awards
                    Funding & Awards Home
      
    
                  Awards Listing
      
    
                  Current Funding
      
    
                  Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
      
    
                  Resources
                    Events
      
    
                  Podcasts
      
    
                  Publications
      
    
                  Topics
      
    
                  Multimedia
      
    
                  Reuse Policy
      
    
                  Contacts
                    Contact NIJ
      
    
                  Staff Directory
      
    
                  Submit a FOIA Request
      
    
                  File a Civil Rights ComplaintFacebook
          
                      X
          
                      YouTube
  

      810 7th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20531
      
              Secondary Footer link menu
            Accessibility
              Plain Language
              Privacy Policy
              Legal Policies and Disclaimer
              No FEAR Act
              Freedom of Information Act
              USA.gov
              Justice.gov