| While the study of repeat victimization has lead to greater understanding and better prevention of crimes such as burglary, robbery, small business crime, and vehicle theft, repeat victimization as it relates to domestic violence has received less empirical attention. The present study further examines the phenomenon of repeat victimization by assessing the nature and extent of repeat domestic violence in the city of Newark, New Jersey. The study uses official police data (incident reports) to: (1) identify repeat victims of domestic violence; (2) assess the correlates of repeat domestic violence; (3) assess the time course of repeat domestic violence; and (4) determine the extent to which repeat victimization contributes to the incidence of domestic violence.; Overall, findings suggest that while repeat victims make up a small proportion of the victim population, they account for a disproportionate number of reported offenses. In addition, the study finds that the opportunity for victim/offender contact impacts the likelihood of repeat victimization; victims who are unemployed and/or have children in common with the offender are more likely to be revictimized than victims who are employed and/or do not have children in common with the offender. Findings also suggest that victimization frequency influences the time interval between successive victimizations; as the number of victimizations increase, the time intervals between successive victimizations decrease.; In addition, the study uses information gathered from detective interviews and field observations to provide further insight on how repeat cases are processed by police, and how this process might be improved to better capture repeat offenses. The ultimate goals of the study are to help police officers identify repeat victims of domestic violence, expand the options police officers have when responding to domestic violence, and examine cost-effective strategies for reducing domestic violence by focusing on repeat victims. |
