Specialized domestic violence courts are presumed to be more effective than general case processing in understanding and addressing the unique issues associated with this crime type, which should lead to reduced recidivism among offenders. Research, however, is less clear about whether and how domestic violence courts reduce recidivism. This study analyzes data from a misdemeanor, expedited domestic violence court in southeast Texas to assess whether defendant characteristics and court processing characteristics influence recidivism among offenders processed through the specialty docket. Results indicate that case processing time was a significant predictor of rearrest for domestic violence. Offenders who had a prior domestic violence arrest were twice as likely to have a subsequent domestic violence arrest. Offenders who received a jail sentence were significantly more likely to have a subsequent domestic violence arrest. Policy implications and future research needs are also discussed.
Keywords: domestic violence; family violence; specialized courts.