The Variable Effects of Arrest on Criminal Careers: The Milwaukee Domestic Violence Experiment

Abstract

This research was supported by grant 86IJCXKO43 to the Crime Control Institute from the National Institute ofJustice. The points of view or opinions stated herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the U.S. Department of Justice or the Milwaukee Police Department. We are deeply indebted to former Milwaukee Police Chief Robert J. Ziarnik for his support of this research and to Chief Philip Arreola for continuing that support. We also thank Kathleen Stolpman and the staff of the Sojourner Truth House for their maintenance of hotline records of repeat violence. This article also reflects the work of many Crime Control Institute staff members and interviewers and the advice of Drs. Joel Garner, Albert J. Reiss, Jr., Robert Boruch, and Kinley Larntz, as well as Lucy Friedman and Allen Andrews. Most important were the officers who carried out the experiment, all of whom entered eligible cases into it: Joseph Vukovich, Zygmunt Lipski, Kenneth Jones, Michael Dubis, Lawrence Roberts, Thomas Skovera, Alan Singer, Frederick Birts, Thomas Bohl, Daniel Halbur, Peter Panasiuk, Scott Rinderle, Michael Braunreiter, Timothy Koceja, John Bogues, Edgar Bullock, Kim Stack, Mick Heinrich, Jerome Sims, John Wallace, Wayne Armon, Rosalie Gallegos, Edward Prah, Dean Schubert, Richard Thompson, Debra Glass, Cheryl Switzer, Robert Eckert, Daniel Kent, Tracy Becker, Steven Fyfe, Jeffery Watts, Gregory Blumenberg, Mark Hilt, and Kathleen Borkowski. * Lawrence W. Sherman is Professor of Criminology, University of Maryland and President, Crime Control Institute. Ph.D. Yale University, 1976. Janell D. Schmidt is Director, Milwaukee Office, Crime Control Institute. M.S., University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, 1985. Dennis P. Rogan is Vice President, Crime Control Institute. Ph.D., University of Maryland, 1988. Douglas A. Smith is Professor of Criminology, University of Maryland. Ph.D., Indiana University, 1982. Patrick R. Gartin is Associate in Criminology, University of Florida. Ph.D., University of Maryland, 1992. Ellen G. Cohn is Visiting Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice, Indiana University at Indianapolis. Ph.D., Cambridge University, 1991. Dean J. Collins is Deputy Inspector, Milwaukee Police Department. M.S., University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, 1973. Anthony R. Bacich is Captain, Milwaukee Police Department. M.S., University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, 1986.