Do Arrests and Restraining Orders Work?

In this provocative contribution to the debate on which interventions are most effective in reducing domestic violence, a wide range of research methods and analyses are presented and a number of issues raised. These include: whether the criminal justice response to domestic violence is inadequate; whether there is a conflict of interest between society and the victim of violence; and whether alternative means should be used to deter chronic batterers who are undeterred by the criminal justice response.