In Cook County, Ill., and maybe in your town, only a tiny fraction of domestic abuse cases actually end in a conviction.
The Chicago Tribune reported:
For every man convicted in a Cook County court of beating his wife or girlfriend, five men brought in on similar charges walk away legally unscathed. And despite official promises to help women pursue abuse complaints, that conviction rate is only getting worse.
Prosecuting domestic violence has never been easy, mostly because women often choose to drop charges. But the odds of conviction rise when women get help navigating a complex court system and prosecutors provide early, intensive contact with victims.
Cook County's opening of a $62 million courthouse in 2005 was aimed in part at making women feel more comfortable pursuing their cases. Yet, a Tribune analysis has found, one-sixth of the 19,000 domestic violence cases brought each year in Cook County now result in convictions.
That dismal record feeds a vicious cycle: With so few convictions, victims lose faith in the courts, and the violence continues unabated, advocates say.
Resources:
The American Bar Association's Commission on Domestic Violence: http://www.abanet.org/domviol/statistics.html (Sorry,...
