Criminal justice and offender rehabilitation
How to read the stories

Criminal justice and offender rehabilitation

What will happen to the victim and perpetrator once domestic abuse has been reported to the police?

Once a report has been made, the police’s main concern will be the victim’s safety. They will take what you say seriously, and respond quickly, especially if the domestic violence is occurring when you call. If you are a witness, police officers might ask you to give an oral and written account of what you heard or saw.

The perpetrator might be arrested, and then charged with a crime. Sometimes, the witness who called the police might be asked to come to court to testify about the events in front of the judge. If this is the case, the witness will be served with an official document, called a subpoena, which requests his or her presence at the court house at a specific date and time.

However, calling the police about domestic violence does not necessarily mean that you will need to testify in court. Quite often, due to other evidence or the perpetrator’s confession, the witness does not have to appear.

Whatever the case may be, the simple act of calling the police about domestic abuse will clearly help to protect the victim, which is the most important thing. As a witness, you generally do not have to worry that the perpetrator will hurt you or the victim in revenge. There are services in place to protect you both.

When an incident of domestic abuse is reported, a police officer will visit the victim either at home or somewhere that they feel safe. The officer will talk to the victim about what has happened. Some of the questions may seem personal but the answers will really help the police to understand the situation and help to develop a plan in partnership with the person to keep them safe. The officer may also take a statement and will talk the victim through this step-by-step.

With the victim’s permission the police may also gather other evidence such as medical records and take photographs of any injuries they may have.

The police also have a responsibility to make sure any children are kept safe, and will share information with social services so they can work to protect the victim and their family. The children will not be removed from the victim if they are not at risk from them.

If someone is arrested

Police officers take domestic abuse seriously. Although getting justice is important to them, officers consider each case and the wishes of people involved individually.

If someone is arrested they’ll be taken to a police station. If they’re charged with a crime, they may be remanded into custody to appear before the next available court or released on bail while the police complete their investigation. They may be able to attach bail conditions to protect the victim from further abuse and intimidation. The court may also use Domestic Abuse Protection Orders or Notices, which are civil orders that give the victim short-term protection from their abuser, enabling the victim to focus on making plans and sorting out necessary things like childcare or somewhere to live.

If the abuser pleads guilty the victim won’t have to go to court but may be asked to give a victim impact statement describing the effect the abuse has had on them. The court will take this into account when passing sentence.

If the abuser pleads not guilty the victim may have to go to court to give evidence. This is likely to raise anxiety but arrangements can be made for the victim to do this behind a screen or via video link so that they don’t have to enter the court room.

How to read the stories

There is no right or wrong way to read the stories.

Some people are not used to reading stories. Start at the beginning and read the story in each picture. Encourage the reader to move through the pages at their own pace.
Encourage the person to tell the story in their own words. You will discover what they think is happening, what they already know, and how they feel. If you are using the pictures to help explain a procedure to someone, you may need to describe or clarify the actions being shown in each picture to help them understand. Try not to challenge the reader(s) or suggest their ideas are wrong.
Some pictures may be more difficult to understand. It can help to prompt the people you are supporting, for example:
• Who do you think that is?
• What is happening?
• How is he or she feeling?
• Do you feel like that? Has it happened to you/ your friend/ your family?
Allow people enough time to follow the pictures at their own pace. Allow time for discussion of each picture.
Some people may benefit from reading the larger story from which the extract has been taken. This will allow them to explore their feelings and experiences in more depth. To buy the complete book, follow the link to the bookshop that appears at the end of the story.