Measuring the extent of domestic violence

At foot of t.p.: The Crime Research Centre, The University of Western Australia
Most studies of domestic violence rely on single data sources, each of which has both strengths and limitations. This book reports on a project in Western Australia that triangulated numerous data sources: crimes recorded by police (the WA police computerised Offence Information System; 'domestic' and 'disturbance' calls made to police and recorded on the Computer Dispatch System; and family incident reports in the Perth police district of Armadale); a community safety survey conducted by the Crime Research Centre; applications for restraining orders lodged in magistrates' courts in WA; and data from hospitals and non-government victim support services. Females constituted between 88% and 92% of victims in most data sources. Younger women were found to be more at risk than older women. Higher victimisation rates were found for Aboriginal women, particularly in rural areas. From police data, Aboriginal women were found to be 45 times more likely than non-Aborigines to be victims of reported domestic violence and generally sustained more serious injuries than non-Aboriginal victims. Explores the relationship between socio-economic status, alcohol, victim/offender relationship and separation and domestic violence.

1. Introduction
2. Reports to police
3. Victimisation survey
4. Domestic violence and the courts
5. Community services and hospital admissions
6. Integration
Appendix
Bibliography and references