Mandatory Reporting of Domestic Violence Injuries to the Police

TLDR

Laws mandating police reporting of domestic‑violence injuries exist in four U.S. states. The study aimed to assess female emergency‑department patients’ attitudes toward mandatory police reporting of domestic‑violence injuries and whether these attitudes differ by abuse status. A cross‑sectional survey of 1,218 women (72.8% response rate) was conducted in 12 California and Pennsylvania emergency departments in 1996.

Abstract

ContextLaws requiring mandatory reporting of domestic violence to police exist in 4 states. Controversy exists about the risks and benefits of such laws.ObjectiveTo examine attitudes of female emergency department patients toward mandatory reporting of domestic violence injuries to police and how these attitudes may differ by abuse status.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsCross-sectional survey conducted in 1996 of 1218 women patients (72.8% response rate) in 12 emergency departments in California (a state with a mandatory reporting law) and Pennsylvania (without such a law).Main Outcome MeasuresOpposition to mandatory reporting to police and the characteristics associated with this belief.ResultsTwelve percent of respondents (n = 140) reported physical or sexual abuse within the past year by a current or former partner. Of abused women, 55.7% supported mandatory reporting and 44.3% opposed mandatory reporting (7.9% preferred that physicians never report abuse to police and 36.4% preferred physicians report only with patient consent). Among nonabused women, 70.7% (n = 728) supported mandatory reporting and 29.3% opposed mandatory reporting. Patients currently seeing/living with partners (odds ratio [OR], 1.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1-2.0), non-English speakers (OR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.4-3.0), and those who had experienced physical or sexual abuse within the last year (OR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.6-2.9) had higher odds of opposing mandatory reporting of domestic violence injuries. There were no differences in attitudes by location (California vs Pennsylvania).ConclusionsThe efficacy of mandatory reporting of domestic violence to police should be further assessed, and policymakers should consider options that include consent of patients before wider implementation.