Perceptions and attitudes of domestic violence shelter victims towards the social and criminal justice systems

Abstract

This paper examines characteristics of clients as well as patterns of usage within a large urban domestic violence service agency. Findings from the study provide support for the often‐voiced assumption that persons who seek the services of such agencies do so in part because of their prior experiences with more traditional public service agencies including those within the criminal justice and social services system. Results from the study also provide support for several other assumptions regarding victims of domestic violence while at the same time raise questions about the validity of others.