[Cycle of Violence Page]

Cycle of Violence

[Include a diagram of the cycle of violence as the visual – see attached]

Every victim of domestic violence, every police officer investigating a domestic violence case, and every prosecutor handling the prosecution of the case, needs to understand the "Cycle of Violence" that exists in abusive relationships. The only way to stop domestic violence is to derail the "Cycle of Violence" in each relationship at an early stage.

In the typical example of the "Cycle of Violence," a husband punches his wife and she, hurt and bruised, reports it to the police. He then begs for forgiveness, promises it will never happen again (probably believing the words as they come out of his mouth), and she ultimately forgives him and asks that charges against him be dismissed. Over the next days, weeks or months, tension builds again in the home, eventually culminating in another batch of bruises and contusions. The cycle goes on and on, beatings followed by reconciliation followed by more beatings.

The first occurrence of domestic violence usually takes a fairly innocuous form, but if the victim does not leave the abuser or actively prosecute the offense it sets up the "Cycle of Violence." The pattern of violent episodes separated by periods of remorse will continue, with the violence becoming more severe and the remorse decreasing with time. The use of weapons also becomes more prevalent with time. Although people who commit domestic violence do not fit any one profile, they do share some characteristics. Most people who abuse spouses or significant others are men. (85-95%) Most are very possessive and jealous. Many convince their victim that she is really the cause of the abuse. Many have alcohol or drug problems.

Every policy and procedure implemented by the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is designed to try to combat this "Cycle of Violence."