title: The perceptions of judicial and psychosocial interveners of the consequences of dropped charges in domestic violence cases.
abstract: Many domestic violence cases do not go to trial because the victim refuses to testify. This article presents a qualitative study exploring the dismissal of criminal charges in domestic violence cases. The 22 judicial and psychosocial professionals interviewed in Montreal, Canada, discussed various consequences of the legal decision to dismiss the charges on victims, perpetrators, justice system professionals, and society as a whole. Respondents clearly did not view the withdrawal of charges as a failure of the criminalization of domestic violence.
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work, Université de Montréal, Quebec, Canada. sonia.gauthier@umontreal.ca
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gauthier
mesh_terms: D018585:Battered Women; D019548:Crime Victims; D003416:Criminal Law; D057237:Criminals; D003657:Decision Making; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D033241:Lawyers; D008297:Male; D036301:Qualitative Research