Evaluating criminal justice interventions in the field of domestic violence: a realist approachud

摘要

This thesis evaluates the combination of two criminal justice interventions in the field of the domestic violence. The intervention, termed a Domestic Violence Court Advisory Service (DVCAS) throughout the thesis, comprises two elements –Independent Domestic Violence Advisers (IDVAs) and Specialist Domestic Violence Courts (SDVCs). Both initiatives were instituted in the wake of much criticism of the treatment of domestic violence in the Criminal Justice System (CJS). To date, however, there has been no rigorous evaluation of the combined efficacy of these initiatives – in particular, regarding their impact on the number of offenders brought to justice. udThis thesis examines how a DVCAS can increase the successful prosecution of domestic violence offences through increased victim participation, better court outcomes and a wide and varied use of sentencing options. The thesis highlights ‘what works and why’ in prosecuting domestic violence offences, and in so doing identifies a number of outcomes to suggest that certain practices in the police and CPS do not always support the DVCAS in achieving its aims, in particular, through ineffective investigations, inappropriate safeguarding responses and poor prosecution practices.