Mandatory Arrest policy, while being hailed as a victory by some, has been quite controversial amongst many assaulted women, advocates, and policy-makers. This article explores some of the varying opinions on this issue via interviews with three women who are concerned about 'mandatory arrest' policy. She holds a PhD in Communications, and much of her previous work focussed on issues of racism. Janet Mosher is an Associate Professor of Law and Social Work at the University of Toronto, from 1989-present. She teaches and does research in the area of violence against women.
Arrest depends on jurisdiction, geographic location, and social status.
For example, if you're an Aboriginal woman on the downtown East side of Vancouver, one of the more poverty-stricken areas, then police are not going to respond. In one particular case, an Aboriginal woman was being assaulted and called the police, and the police came to pick up the man who was abusing her, and dropped him off several blocks away. Whereupon, he returned and stabbed this woman numerous times. A frequent point made by women survivors of abuse is that they do not want their husbands criminalized. They want the violence to stop, but they do not want their husbands or partners arrested or incarcerated.