Reports results of survey responses to short scenarios involving partner disputes. If there was no intention of harm and no current injury, dismissal was preferred. Women and men preferred counseling to jail or probation; women preferred jail and counseling more than men. Court-ordered mediation was the most preferred disposition. (LKS)

Gives an overview of issues related to domestic violence against women as a social problem: changing responses from the legal system and the community over the course of history, possible causes of domestic violence against women, current perspectives and trends, prevalence, seriousness, and our response as a society. (LKS)

Reports how husband's mental state, antagonism between the disputants, and victim injury affected officers' inferences and referral decisions to battered women shelters and outpatient mental health centers. Officers' age and perceptions of: husband's mental state, wife's credibility, wife's intent, husband's responsibility, and victim injury…