A four-year retrospective study of domestic violence and police response in Asians using the Rhode Island Domestic Violence /Sexual Assault Police Reporting Forms

Problem. Domestic violence (DV) results in the death of four women daily in the US and affects all racial/ethnic groups. Due to immigration, cultural values, and attitude toward authority, there may be unique factors influencing the DV experience for Asian victims that are not well understood due to a paucity of research. Objective. This study examined DV homicide and arrests, victims\u27 reporting, violence severity, and police response to DV calls for Asian victims compared to African American, Hispanic, and White victims. Method. This was a cross-sectional, retrospective study (2001-2004) of DV incidents in Rhode Island based on secondary data analysis of responses from the Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Reporting Forms. Cases were included if they met the following criteria: arrest cases, female victims, heterosexual intimate (former or current) relationships between victim and suspect. Based on 130 Asian victims, the same number of African American, Hispanic, and White cases were randomly selected to equalize the number in each group (total n = 520). Results. Victims\u27 average age was 32. There were 24 DV homicides during the time under study, 1 of which was Asian. Asians and Whites had lower percentages and African Americans and Hispanics had higher percentages of arrests resulting from DV calls relative to their respective percentage representation in the RI population. Chi square analyses showed that Asians had more physical assault than Non-Asians except for Hispanics. Logistic regression results showed that Asians were 2.32 times more likely to have been physically assaulted than Whites. Chi square analyses showed that police were less likely to give Temporary Restraining Order information and less likely to check for Restraining Order No Contact Order (RONCO) for Asian victims than for White victims. In logistic regression, Asians were 0.44 times as likely as Whites to have the police check for a RONCO and 0.43 times as likely as Whites to have the police take crime scene photos. Conclusion. Study findings support ethnic differences in DV experience and police response to DV. These unique characteristics for Asians and other minorities warrant further investigation. Implications include earlier intervention for Asian victims and improved police response for minorities