Assessment of the Effects of a Legal Advocacy Program in a Gwinnett County Domestic Violence Program

Abstract

Domestic violence has become very common in the recent past, although it is classified as a crime many family members have become victims of the same. There are several types of domestic violence which range from physical violence, sexual, emotional, Psychological, spiritual, cultural, verbal and financial abuse. Legal advocacy for all victims of domestic violence regardless of the type of domestic violence has become an essential service and an important component in most domestic violence programs, as this social issue continues to be a major problem in contemporary American society and the world at large. Evaluation of the effectiveness of legal advocacy program is crucial for quality service delivery, demonstration of accountability as well as accomplishment of goals. This paper reviews the literature in legal advocacy and its effectiveness in curbing domestic violence. The areas of focus for this paper are: - purpose of legal advocacy, results of legal advocacy, and indicators of legal advocacy.  In a sample of 235 cases, recidivism was assessed from official criminal data during a 12-to-18-month period after cases were initially handled by the Baltimore, Maryland's State Attorney's Domestic Violence Unit.