Abuse Arrest Policies Push Gender Bias: Report

Press release here. Excerpt:

'WASHINGTON, May 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Biased domestic violence arrest policies are violating the civil rights of innocent Americans and allowing abusers to go free, according to a report released today. The report, "Predominant Aggressor Policies: Leaving the Abuser Unaccountable?" charges such policies violate 14th Amendment equal protection guarantees and worsen the cycle of violence.

The analysis is published by SAVE – Stop Abusive and Violent Environments, and is available online: http://www.saveservices.org/downloads/Predominant-Aggressor-Policies [.pdf file]

The report analyzes domestic violence policies in 23 states designed to guide law enforcement personnel in arrest decisions. The document calls on states with predominant aggressor laws to repeal such policies.

The predominant aggressor report follows SAVE's recent release of "Assaulting our Rights: How Domestic Violence Laws Curtail Our Fundamental Freedoms," which concludes abuse laws result in the curtailment of civil liberties of over 2 million Americans each year: http://www.saveservices.org/downloads/SAVE-Assault-Civil-Rights [.pdf file]

Research shows men and women are equally likely to instigate acts of partner aggression: http://www.csulb.edu/~mfiebert/assault.htm. But in Roanoke, Va., police officers are instructed to assess the "Height/weight of parties," a criterion that openly biases the officer to arrest the male.'