Predictors of dual arrest for offenders involved in heterosexual domestic violence arrests

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of extra-legal and legal predictors on dual arrest outcome for men and women arrested for domestic violence. Design/methodology/approach - This study analyzed 4,163 heterosexual domestic violence incidents over a five-year period (2002-2006). Using bivariate analyses and gender-stratified logistic regression this study: identified the variables associated with dual arrest; identified the extra-legal and legal predictors' of dual arrest; and determined whether there were significant differences between police dispositions of women and men. Findings - Bivariate analyses indicated that women were more likely to be dually arrested than men. For women, logistic regression analyses indicated who contacted the police increased their likelihood of dual arrest. For men, logistic regression analysis indicated being a victim in a prior domestic violence, who used alcohol and/or drugs, who contacted the police, and seriousness of incident impacted their likelihood of being dually arrested. Practical implications - Results demonstrate that law enforcement officers may not be recognizing male victims of domestic violence as legitimate victims. Originality/value - This research is situated within the larger body of literature around women and men arrested for domestic violence and contributes to the limited literature regarding the effect of men's prior domestic violence victimization on dual arrest outcome.