DOI: 10.3886/icpsr36605.v1
title: Criminal Protective Orders as a Critical Strategy to Reduce Domestic Violence, Connecticut, 2012-2016
title: Version 1

description: These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they were received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except for the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompanying readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collection and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed. Criminal protection orders are a critical tool to enhance the safety and protection of victims of domestic violence (DV). However, limited research exists to elucidate the process and outcomes of these orders. The purposes of the study were to (a) elucidate the process of criminal orders as a critical strategy to reduce domestic violence, (b) increase knowledge about how criminal orders influence the daily lives of women, and children, and how they are associated with offender behavior, (c) disseminate findings to practitioners, policy makers, and academics to inform practice, policy, and future research; and (d) document in detail the relevant accounts of the collaboration to inform best practices for collaborations that lead to better policy, practice, and research. The sample is comprised of 298 female victims of DV by a male, intimate partner. Participants were recruited from two geographical area courthouses in an urban and a suburban New England community. Information was collected in personal interviews and augmented with information from court records. Separate data files contain information about housing events as well as substance use. Qualitative data collected as part of this study are not included in this fast track release. The collection contains 3 SPSS data files, <strong>NIJ-PO-Full-Dataset.sav</strong> (n=298; 1299 variables), <strong>NIJ-PO-Housing-TLFB-Dataset.sav</strong> (n=577; 29 variables) and <strong>NIJ-PO-Substance-Use-Dataset.sav</strong> (n=8940; 24 variables) and 1 Excel data file <strong>Living-Together-Data.xlsx</strong> (n=298; 3 variables). The collection also contains transcripts of qualitative interviews with 294 of the 298 respondents, which are not included in this release.
description: Three central aims guided this study: Victims: To increase knowledge about how criminal orders affect victims' safety and wellbeing. Objectives aim to (a) provide descriptive information about victims' wellbeing subsequent to their partners arraignment and (b) compare wellbeing among victims grouped on two dimensions of orders, (1) the extent to which orders are issued at a more restrictive level than requested by victims and (2) the extent to which orders affect daily living, and (c) determine if offender and victim characteristics moderate the differences. Offenders: To increase knowledge about how criminal orders, in combination with offender programming, affect offender behavior in order to identify level of order and type of programming associated with the lowest rates of revictimization and recidivism, and if offender and victim characteristics moderate the differences. Children: To increase knowledge about how criminal orders affect children's contact in cases where offenders are the fathers of victims' children. Objectives aim to (a) identify the proportion of victims who seek civil orders to protect their children and if differences exist by level of criminal order requested or issued, and (b) for residential stay-away or full no-contact orders, to gather information about contact with the offending father.
description: Study data were collected from victims during a semi-structured, retrospective interview. Participants reported their experiences about two time periods (1) 30 days before the arraignment (approximately 12-15 months before the study interview) and (2) 30 days before the study interview (presently). Data collection took 35 months with an average monthly enrollment of 9 victims per month. Please see the Use Guide for more detailed information on the study design.
description: <strong>NIJ-PO-Full-Dataset.sav</strong> (n=298; 1299 variables) contains the full study sample from the computer-administered protocol. This dataset contains variables on: Intimate Partner Violence, Guns and Firearms, Fear of Partner, Perceived Stress, Stigma, Experiences with the Court, Willingness to Utilize Criminal Justice System in the Future, Coping Strategies, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Diagnosis, Substance Use, Depression, Difficulties on Emotion Regulation Scale, Treatment Utilization and Concomitant Medication, Demographics, Empowerment, Co-Parenting Stress, Cumulative Interpersonal Trauma, Exposure, Social Support, Incident that led to Arraignment/Protective Order, Protective Order Specifics, Relationship with Offending Partner, Financial Stress, Residential Stability, and Physical Activity. <strong>NIJ-PO-Housing-TLFB-Dataset.sav</strong> (n=577; 29 variables) is used to document living arrangements of the participant from the time of arraignment through the study interview. Variables include where the respondent was living, start and end dates for the living situation, with whom the respondent was living, and reasons for leaving the living situation. <strong>NIJ-PO-Substance-Use-TLFB.sav</strong> (n=8940; 24 variables) contains variables on how many days the respondent drank, smoked cigarettes, or used drugs in the past 30 days from the date of the interview. Variables also include the number of drinks, cigarettes, or times drugs were used on each day of occurrence and the types of drugs that were used. <strong>Living-Together-Data.xlsx</strong> (n=298; 3 variables) contains a variable on whether or not the victim was living with the offending partner.
description: Not appropriate.
description: Response Rates: Not available.
description: Presence of Common Scales: Several Likert-type scales were used. Please see the User Guide for more details.
description: The sample is composed of 298 female victims of Domestic Violence (DV) by a male, intimate partner. Women were recruited from two geographical area courthouses in an urban and a suburban New England community. Women were eligible to participate if they were a victim in a criminal DV case with a male intimate partner, if their offender was arraigned approximately 12 to 15 months prior to study recruitment, and if they spoke English or Spanish. Women were ineligible if they were unable to comprehend questions and/or report information accurately given the retrospective nature of the questions. Eligibility criteria were determined via records from the Office of the Family Violence Victim Advocate or the State of Connecticut Judicial Branch.
description: Datasets: DS1: Criminal Protective Orders as a Critical Strategy to Reduce Domestic Violence, Connecticut, 2012-2016
description: Female victims of domestic violence by a male, intimate partner. Smallest Geographic Unit: None
description: computer-assisted personal interview (CAPI); face-to-face interviewThese data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they were received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except for the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompanying readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collection and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.Please note that the qualitative data of the interviews with domestic violence victims are not available under NACJD's Fast Track Release.