Domestic Violence In Urban Areas

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For decades law enforcement agencies have recognized the large amount of domestic violence calls received with most of the calls coming from repeat victims. Many of the reports of domestic abuse are reported against women and is largely underreported by victims (Friday, Lord, Exum, & Hartman, 2006). Police reform has caused changes in several areas with the most powerful change being the increase in police powers of arrest. This can cause both a positive and negative repercussion (Friday, Lord, Exum, & Hartman, 2006).
Women in rural areas are just as likely to report domestic violence as women in suburban areas. Domestic violence crosses all geographic lines (Frequency of domestic violence, 2018). Those living in rural areas may often …show more content…

According to Stacy Vinberg, assistant county attorney in Yellow Medicine County Minnesota, because there is a different dynamic to domestic violence in rural communities (Vogel & Weber, 2012). One of the largest problems even if the abuse gets reported and an arrest made, is that most of the witnesses will later recant their testimony that they have been abused (Vogel & Weber, 2012). When domestic violence is reported it might have been an ongoing problem for ten to twenty years. In rural areas the income is tied to a family farm and once the abuse is reported it causes a wake-up call for the abused person and the fear of the unknow and lack of income comes to light (Vogel & Weber, 2012). Rural areas have a higher rate of poverty in general and when the husband loses what income they may have, money stress creates a higher possibility for domestic violence especially against women (Vogel & Weber, 2012). In small rural communities everyone knows each other and must live with the stigma of domestic abuse. The officers answering the domestic abuse calls also must travel long distances and by the time they arrive, the dispute has been settled one way or another (Vogel & Weber,

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