The Impact of Unconditional Police Reporting on Domestic Violence
Over the last years, many countries have adopted policies aimed at reducing violence against women. Most of the enacted measures prioritize criminal justice as a response to intimate partner violence and require an initial report of domestic abuse to the police. This study assesses how lowering barriers for women to access public services affect domestic violence. Exploiting the temporal and geographic variation in the enactment of non-mandatory police reporting policy, I find that this policy significantly reduced intimate partner homicides cases by 40 percent. I show that facilitating the dissolution of abusive relations and reducing domestic violence in intact couples are the main underlying channels. These findings suggest that facilitating victims to leave the abusive relationship without facing hard legal and administrative processes and making their abuser to being prosecuted might impact domestic abuse before escalating to murder.
Working paper coming soon
Over the last years, many countries have adopted policies aimed at reducing violence against women. Most of the enacted measures prioritize criminal justice as a response to intimate partner violence and require an initial report of domestic abuse to the police. This study assesses how lowering barriers for women to access public services affect domestic violence. Exploiting the temporal and geographic variation in the enactment of non-mandatory police reporting policy, I find that this policy significantly reduced intimate partner homicides cases by 40 percent. I show that facilitating the dissolution of abusive relations and reducing domestic violence in intact couples are the main underlying channels. These findings suggest that facilitating victims to leave the abusive relationship without facing hard legal and administrative processes and making their abuser to being prosecuted might impact domestic abuse before escalating to murder.
Working paper coming soon