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      Comparing panic alarm systems for high-risk domestic abuse victims: a randomised controlled trial on prevention and criminal justice system outcomes

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          Abstract

          Background

          The use of panic alarm systems for victims of domestic abuse is becoming increasingly popular. However, tests of these devices are rare. Consequently, it is presently unknown whether domestic abuse offenders are deterred by warning stickers informing them that a panic alarm system is installed on the premises, or whether alarm systems reduce domestic abuse recidivism. There is also a lack of data regarding whether adding an audio-recording feature to the panic alarm results in more prosecutions of domestic abuse offenders compared to standard panic alarm systems. Measuring the efficacy of warning stickers and audio recordings will enhance understanding of the overall effectiveness of panic alarm systems for domestic abuse.

          Methods

          This study used a pre-test-post-test, control group design, in which 300 eligible high-risk domestic abuse victims in London, UK, were randomly allocated to either a standard panic alarm system or a panic alarm system with audio-recording capabilities and a red warning sticker on a durable, A6-size sign displayed at eye level at the entrance to the premises. Each sticker was well lit to ensure maximum visibility. The gain scores of multiple measures at 6 months prior and 6 months post-randomisation were used to assess the treatment effects (including the number of calls for service, recorded crimes, and harm score), and a negative binomial generalised linear model was utilised to estimate the likelihood of criminal charges for domestic abuse offenders in the two systems.

          Outcomes

          Pre-post comparisons of recidivism suggested an overall reduction in both treatment arms, but there were no statistically significant differences between the two types of alarm systems across these crime measures. Nevertheless, the estimation model indicated a significant 57% increase in charges using the audio-recording alarm relative to the standard panic alarm system.

          Conclusions

          Using deterrent stickers to warn domestic abuse offenders of panic alarm systems does not lead to a reduction in subsequent harm to victims. Compared to ordinary panic alarms for high-risk domestic abuse victims, audio-recording systems provide valuable evidence that increases subsequent charges, and thus, these systems should be explored further.

          Supplementary Information

          The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11292-022-09505-1.

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          Most cited references33

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          Experimental and quasi-experimental designs of research

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            The Specific Deterrent Effects of Arrest for Domestic Assault

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              Targeting Escalation in Reported Domestic Abuse

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                Author and article information

                Contributors
                William.Hodgkinson@beds.police.uk
                ba285@cam.ac.uk
                vh315@cam.ac.uk
                Journal
                J Exp Criminol
                J Exp Criminol
                Journal of Experimental Criminology
                Springer Netherlands (Dordrecht )
                1573-3750
                1572-8315
                4 April 2022
                4 April 2022
                : 1-19
                Affiliations
                [1 ]Bedfordshire Police, Woburn Rd, Kempston, Bedford, MK43 9AX UK
                [2 ]GRID grid.5335.0, ISNI 0000000121885934, Institute of Criminology, , University of Cambridge, ; Sidgwick Ave, Cambridge, CB3 9DA UK
                [3 ]GRID grid.9619.7, ISNI 0000 0004 1937 0538, Institute of Criminology, , The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, ; Mt. Scopus, 9190501 Jerusalem, Israel
                Author information
                http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6912-2546
                Article
                9505
                10.1007/s11292-022-09505-1
                8979151
                75a742f9-31f5-43fc-9a89-863e134589c9
                © The Author(s) 2022

                Open AccessThis article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

                History
                : 13 March 2022
                Categories
                Article

                Sociology
                police,domestic abuse,panic alarms
                Sociology
                police, domestic abuse, panic alarms

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