Reasons Authorities Have Difficulties with Domestic Violence Cases

While police and prosecutors know that domestic violence is an existing problem in their neighborhoods, they are not always successful in prosecuting it. There are two main reasons why not all domestic violence cases go to court and few rarely make it to the final stages of prosecution.

The first problem is that victims do not always report their cases. If a case is reported to the police, the victim may drop the charges or recant a claim of violence. This is especially true of women that live with and/or are married to their abusers; when there are children involved, victims of domestic violence often change their stories so as to not anger their spouses even further.

Even when police are able to speak with the abuser about the violence and are ready to take the case to court, the victims will then state that they are unwilling to testify against the abuser. When this happens, the prosecutor usually does not have enough evidence to try the case. It will eventually be dropped and nothing done to punish the offender.

Are you a victim of domestic abuse? Put an end to wrongful treatment by enlisting the help of a family law attorney as soon as possible.