Investigating the Impact of Black Population on Resources and Policies for Domestic Violence
Open Access
Author:
Gauniyal, Saloni
Area of Honors:
Criminology
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Lecinda Marie Yevchak, Thesis Supervisor Stacy Silver, Thesis Honors Advisor Kenneth N. Levy, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Domestic Violence Black Victims Domestic Violence Resources US Cities
Abstract:
Using Laura Dugan’s data set, Impact of Legal Advocacy on Intimate Partner Homicide in the United States, I examined the impact of the percentage of the population that is Black on the available resources, policies, and procedures for domestic violence in 48 of the biggest cities in the United States from 1976 to 1996. Using information from past research, I examined if these cities were adjusting their resources, policies, and procedures to fit the needs of a higher Black population by comparing across the cities. Trainings, Prosecuting Policies, Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) Benefits, and Units were all significantly correlated with the percentage of the population that was Black. After running regressions, only Units and AFDC Benefits showed significant findings, but the affects were small and unclear (though both seemed to decrease slightly as the percentage of the population increased), meaning that there are likely more complex factors to be considered to better understand the relationship. These findings suggest that the resources, policies, and procedures are not adjusted depending on the percentage of the population that is Black.
