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Criminal Charges, Risk Assessment, and Violent Recidivism in Cases of Domestic Abuse

Author

Listed:
  • Dan A. Black
  • Jeffrey Grogger
  • Tom Kirchmaier
  • Koen Sanders

Abstract

Domestic abuse is a pervasive global problem. Here we analyze two approaches to reducing violent DA recidivism. One involves charging the perpetrator with a crime; the other provides protective services to the victim on the basis of a formal risk assessment carried out by the police. We use detailed administrative data to estimate the average effect of treatment on the treated using inverse propensity-score weighting (IPW). We then make use of causal forests to study heterogeneity in the estimated treatment effects. We find that pressing charges substantially reduces the likelihood of violent recidivism. The analysis also reveals substantial heterogeneity in the effect of pressing charges. In contrast, the risk-assessment process has no discernible effect.

Suggested Citation

  • Dan A. Black & Jeffrey Grogger & Tom Kirchmaier & Koen Sanders, 2023. "Criminal Charges, Risk Assessment, and Violent Recidivism in Cases of Domestic Abuse," NBER Working Papers 30884, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:30884
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    Cited by:

    1. Calabresi, Elisabetta & Rodríguez-Planas, Núria, 2025. "Female Empowerment and Intimate Partner Violence," IZA Discussion Papers 18207, IZA Network @ LISER.
    2. Elisabetta Calabresi & Núria Rodríguez-Planas, 2025. "Female empowerment and intimate partner violence," Working Papers 2025/14, Institut d'Economia de Barcelona (IEB).
    3. Dércio de Assis & Arpita Ghosh & Sonia Oreffice & Climent Quintana-Domeque, 2025. "Disrupting Violence, Protecting Lives: Strangulation Laws and Intimate Partner Homicides," Discussion Papers 2501, University of Exeter, Department of Economics, revised 03 Dec 2025.
    4. de Assis, Dércio & Ghosh, Arpita & Oreffice, Sonia & Quintana-Domeque, Climent, 2025. "Non-Fatal Strangulation Laws and Intimate Partner Homicides," IZA Discussion Papers 18006, IZA Network @ LISER.
    5. Koppa, Vijetha, 2024. "Can information save lives? Effect of a victim-focused police intervention on intimate partner homicides," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 217(C), pages 756-782.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure

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