SARA Model

Intro to Criminal Justice – CRJU 1310
How Might Law Enforcement Effectively Respond to Domestic Violence

22 November 2013

Introduction
Domestic violence is an extremely common problem in today’s society. When thinking of domestic violence the every day definition is violence or abuse against one’s partner. According to the Domestic Violence Organization more than three women are brutally murdered by their husbands or boyfriends (Cook, 2013). Many times abusers do not get brought to justice.
To break down how law enforcement might better respond to domestic violence, the use of the SARA model is required. The SARA model stands for Scanning, Analysis,
A well-known problem analysis stem is problem-oriented policing (Ratcliffe, 2007). Problem-oriented policing works well because it, not only identifies the crime problems and tries to find a remedy for the problems, but also helps to improve the police responses (Ratcliffe, 2007). The problem of domestic violence was identified through the use of problem-oriented policing along with other major problems that society deals with today.
Though domestic violence rates have gone down over the past decade, it still remains a problem (Johnson, 2007). The Office of Victim for Crimes showed statistics that twenty percent of homicides happen within families or intimate relationships (Office, 2001). The Office also reports that twenty-eight percent of violent crimes against females were committed by intimate partners (Office, 2001).
Many women have been losing their lives on account of partner abuse. Consequences of the ongoing cycle of domestic violence is that children who see their mothers abused are thirty to sixty percent more likely to abuse their children, leaving a harsh upbringing for the next generation (Jaffe, 2009). To better help the community police need to first tackle the homicides that have occurred due to domestic violence, and then move onto the second-generation domestic violence
Many cases where a partner asks for protection are parents of minors (Reynolds & Peeples, 2012). Domestic violence doesn’t just apply to when the abuser is violent with the significant other, it can also happen with the abuser’s children which happens more often than not. The abuse of children is no new concept. It dates back to the times of ancient Greece. Aristotle once said, “The justice of a master or a father is a different thing from that of a citizen, for a son or slave is property and there can be no injustice to one’s own property.” All throughout history we see examples of children being treated as property rather than as humans. This leads to the modern day misconception that abusing children is what is necessary to have a disciplined child (Flowers, 2000). Abuse to a child does not only range too physical or emotional but even as far as sexual (Flowers, 2000). Numerous cultures have practiced, and some still do, that of child prostitution where parents sold them into the trade (Flowers, 2000). Domestic violence comes in all forms so that law enforcement needs to be aware