Double Blind

When Billie Rader was pleading with the desk sergeant to arrest her father for repeatedly beating her mom he said that unfortunately unless the victim presses charges the law prevents the police from arresting him or taking action. Once the psychology behind conditions like battered wife syndrome were better understood, specifically how common it was for victims of domestic violence to feel they somehow deserve the abuse and not want to press charges, most states began changing their laws regarding domestic violence in the late 1990's through the early 2000's. As the sergeant said for most crimes the police require the victim to press charges before an arrest can be made, but the changes to domestic violence laws allowed the police to make an arrest in cases of domestic violence when it was apparent one partner inflicted the majority of the damage. While some states leave the choice to make an arrest up to the responding officers, other states took it one step further and made it mandatory for police officers to arrest a person if they suspect them of domestic violence.

References El silencio de los corderos (1991)