{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,26]],"date-time":"2026-09-26T14:01:45Z","timestamp":1790431305204,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]],"date-time":"2026-09-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790121600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Trauma, Violence, &amp; Abuse"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Despite decades of research on intimate partner violence (IPV), victims\u2019 disengagement from police has been largely framed as a failure of help-seeking rather than a rational response to institutional experience. This systematic review challenges that framing by synthesizing evidence on IPV victims\u2019 direct interactions with police and the resulting effects on subsequent engagement or avoidance. Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines, records were identified through searches of Web of Science, Criminal Justice Abstracts, SocINDEX, and ProQuest, supplemented by citation and author searching. Eligible studies were published between January 1970 and December 2025 and examined direct victim\u2013police interaction with a measured post-interaction engagement or avoidance outcome; study quality was appraised using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Of 3,068 records identified, 26 studies met inclusion criteria and were synthesized to reconceptualize institutional avoidance as a strategic and context-dependent decision shaped by victims\u2019 evaluations of police encounters. The findings are organized around three analytic domains: the nature and quality of police interactions, victims\u2019 evaluative interpretations and trust calibration, and subsequent engagement or avoidance decisions. The review identifies four distinct pathways through which victims respond to police encounters: continued engagement, criminalization avoidance, institutional harm avoidance, and constrained re-engagement. A conceptual framework is proposed in which police encounters function as institutional learning moments that inform victims\u2019 rational assessments of police as a source of protection or risk. Understanding institutional avoidance as a strategic response to police encounters has critical implications for policing practices, officer training, and victim-centered intervention.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/15248380261480166","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]],"date-time":"2026-09-23T09:27:24Z","timestamp":1790155644000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Police Encounters as Institutional Learning Moments: A Systematic Review of Intimate Partner Violence Victims\u2019 Experiences and Institutional Avoidance of the Police"],"prefix":"10.1177","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9725-1046","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jina","family":"Lee","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids, MI, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_5_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Apsler R. Cummins M. R. Carl S. (2003). Perceptions of the police by female victims of domestic partner violence. Violence Against Women 9(11) 1318\u20131335. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/1077801203255554","DOI":"10.1177\/1077801203255554"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Brayne S. (2014). Surveillance and system avoidance: Criminal justice contact and institutional attachment. American Sociological Review 79(3) 367\u2013391. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/0003122414530398","DOI":"10.1177\/0003122414530398"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_4_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Bryan S. Chapa S. Rauen A. (2025). Experiences of immigrant survivors of violence with law enforcement. Politics Groups and Identities. Advance online publication. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/21565503.2025.2453174","DOI":"10.1080\/21565503.2025.2453174"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_5_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Burgess-Proctor A. (2012). Backfire: Lessons learned when the criminal justice system fails help-seeking battered women. Journal of Crime & Justice 35(1) 69\u201392. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/0735648X.2011.631393","DOI":"10.1080\/0735648X.2011.631393"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_6_1","volume-title":"Domestic violence: The criminal justice response","author":"Buzawa E. S.","year":"2003","unstructured":"Buzawa E. S., Buzawa C. G. (2003). Domestic violence: The criminal justice response. Sage."},{"key":"e_1_3_5_7_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Buzawa E. S. Hotaling G. T. Byrne J. (2007). Understanding the impact of prior abuse and prior victimization on the decision to forego criminal justice assistance in domestic violence incidents: A life-course perspective. Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention 7(1) 55\u201376. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/brief-treatment\/mhl020","DOI":"10.1093\/brief-treatment\/mhl020"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_8_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Calton J. Cattaneo L. B. (2014). The effects of procedural and distributive justice on IPV victims\u2019 mental health and likelihood of future help seeking. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 84(4) 329\u2013340. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1037\/h0099841","DOI":"10.1037\/h0099841"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_9_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Cattaneo L. B. (2010). The role of socioeconomic status in interactions with police among a national sample of women experiencing intimate partner violence. American Journal of Community Psychology 45(3\u20134) 247\u2013258. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s10464-010-9297-x","DOI":"10.1007\/s10464-010-9297-x"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_10_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Chin Y.-M. Cunningham S. (2019). Revisiting the effect of warrantless domestic violence arrest laws on intimate partner homicides. Journal of Public Economics 179 Article 104072. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.jpubeco.2019.104072","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jpubeco.2019.104072"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_11_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Dugan L. (2003). Domestic violence legislation: Exploring its impact on the likelihood of domestic violence police involvement and arrest. Criminology & Public Policy 2(2) 283\u2013312. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/j.1745-9133.2003.tb00125.x","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1745-9133.2003.tb00126.x"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_12_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Duhaney P. (2022). Contextualizing the experiences of Black women arrested for intimate partner violence in Canada. Journal of Interpersonal Violence 37(21\/22) NP21189\u2013NP21216. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/08862605211056723","DOI":"10.1177\/08862605211056723"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_13_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Fleury R. E. Sullivan C. M. Bybee D. I. Davidson W. SII. (1998). \u201cWhy don\u2019t they just call the cops?\u201d: Reasons for differential police contact among women with abusive partners. Violence & Victims 13(4) 333\u2013346. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1891\/0886-6708.13.4.333","DOI":"10.1891\/0886-6708.13.4.333"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_14_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Fugate M. Landis L. Riordan K. Naureckas S. Engel B. (2005). Barriers to domestic violence help seeking. Violence Against Women 11(3) 290\u2013310. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/1077801204271959","DOI":"10.1177\/1077801204271959"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_15_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ganapathy N. (2006). Between the devil and the deep-blue sea: Conceptualising victims\u2019 experiences of policing in domestic violence in the Singaporean context. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Criminology 39(1) 90\u2013108. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1375\/acri.39.1.90","DOI":"10.1375\/acri.39.1.90"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_16_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Gandarilla-Javier S. Rhodes D. J. Greenfield K. (2025). Latinas\u2019 perception of law enforcement who respond to intimate partner violence calls: A qualitative inquiry. Health & Justice 13(1) Article 61. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1186\/s40352-025-00374-0","DOI":"10.1186\/s40352-025-00374-0"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_17_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Garcia-Jimenez M. Cala M. J. Trigo M. E. de la Mata M. L. (2019). Women\u2019s disengagement from legal proceedings for intimate partner violence in Southern Spain: Variables related to legal proceedings. Crime & Delinquency 65(13) 1873\u20131895. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/0011128718789857","DOI":"10.1177\/0011128718789857"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_18_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Gezinski L. B. (2022). \u201cIt\u2019s kind of hit and miss with them\u201d: A qualitative investigation of police response to intimate partner violence in a mandatory arrest state. Journal of Family Violence 37(1) 99\u2013111. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s10896-020-00227-4","DOI":"10.1007\/s10896-020-00227-4"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_19_1","volume-title":"Imperfect victims: Criminalized survivors and the promise of abolition feminism","author":"Goodmark L.","year":"2023","unstructured":"Goodmark L. (2023). Imperfect victims: Criminalized survivors and the promise of abolition feminism. University of California Press."},{"key":"e_1_3_5_20_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Gover A. R. Welton-Mitchell C. Belknap J. Deprince A. P. (2013). When abuse happens again: Women\u2019s reasons for not reporting new incidents of intimate partner abuse to law enforcement. Women & Criminal Justice 23(2) 99\u2013120. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/08974454.2013.759069","DOI":"10.1080\/08974454.2013.759069"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_21_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Harper S. B. Gover A. R. Mages I. K. (2021). Interactions between law enforcement and women of color at high-risk of lethal intimate partner violence: An application of interpersonal justice theory. Criminal Justice Studies 34(3) 268\u2013288. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/1478601X.2021.1965286","DOI":"10.1080\/1478601X.2021.1965286"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_22_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Hickman L. J. Simpson S. S. (2003). Fair treatment or preferred outcome? The impact of police behavior on victim reports of domestic violence incidents. Law & Society Review 37(3) 607\u2013633. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/1540-5893.3703005","DOI":"10.1111\/1540-5893.3703005"},{"issue":"1","key":"e_1_3_5_23_1","first-page":"255","article-title":"Domestic violence and mandatory arrest laws: To what extent do they influence police arrest decisions?","volume":"98","author":"Hirschel D.","year":"2007","unstructured":"Hirschel D., Buzawa E., Pattavina A., Faggiani D. (2007). Domestic violence and mandatory arrest laws: To what extent do they influence police arrest decisions? Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 98(1), 255\u2013298.","journal-title":"Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_24_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Hochstein L. E. Thurman Q. C. (2006). Assessing the need for domestic violence victim services in one rural county. Police Quarterly 9(4) 448\u2013462. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/1098611105276545","DOI":"10.1177\/1098611105276545"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_25_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Hong Q. N. F\u00e0bregues S. Bartlett G. Boardman F. Cargo M. Dagenais P. Gagnon M.-P. Griffiths F. Nicolau B. O\u2019Cathain A. Rousseau M.-C. Vedel I. Pluye P. (2018). The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) version 2018 for information professionals and researchers. Education for Information 34(4) 285\u2013291. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3233\/EFI-180221","DOI":"10.3233\/EFI-180221"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_26_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Iyengar R. (2009). Does the certainty of arrest reduce domestic violence? Evidence from mandatory and recommended arrest laws. Journal of Public Economics 93(1\u20132) 85\u201398. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.jpubeco.2008.09.006","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jpubeco.2008.09.006"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_27_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Johnson E. J. Boodram C. A. S. (2019). Exploring the experiences of females on reporting incidents of domestic violence in Trinidad and Tobago. British Journal of Social Work 49(8) 2226\u20132244. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/bjsw\/bcy131","DOI":"10.1093\/bjsw\/bcy131"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_28_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Johnson I. M. (2007). Victims\u2019 perceptions of police response to domestic violence incidents. Journal of Criminal Justice 35(5) 498\u2013510. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.jcrimjus.2007.07.003","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jcrimjus.2007.07.003"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_29_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Larance L. Y. (2025). Arrest web entanglement: Female domestic violence survivors\u2019 experiences with police intervention and coercively controlling male partners. Journal of Interpersonal Violence 40(3\/4) 850\u2013875. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/08862605241254136","DOI":"10.1177\/08862605241254136"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_30_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Leisenring A. (2012). Victims\u2019 perceptions of police response to intimate partner violence. Journal of Police Crisis Negotiations 12(2) 146\u2013164. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/15332586.2012.728926","DOI":"10.1080\/15332586.2012.728926"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_31_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Meyer S. (2011). Seeking help for intimate partner violence: Victims\u2019 experiences when approaching the criminal justice system for IPV-related support and protection in an Australian jurisdiction. Feminist Criminology 6(4) 268\u2013290. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/1557085111414860","DOI":"10.1177\/1557085111414860"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_32_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Miller J. (2003). An arresting experiment: Domestic violence victim experiences and perceptions. Journal of Interpersonal Violence 18(7) 695\u2013716. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/0886260503018007001","DOI":"10.1177\/0886260503251130"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_33_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Moore K. Wesp L. Luebke J. Kako P. (2025). Black women\u2019s experiences accessing health care and law enforcement after intimate partner violence: A qualitative pilot study. Western Journal of Nursing Research 47(12) 1203\u20131213. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/01939459251377945","DOI":"10.1177\/01939459251377945"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_34_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Nnawulezi N. Engleton J. Jumarali S. Royson S. Murphy C. (2022). \u201cIsn\u2019t there any other way than calling the cops?\u201d: How differences in initiation of police intervention influence survivor safety. Journal of Interpersonal Violence 37(23\u201324) NP21953\u2013NP21974. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/08862605211064287","DOI":"10.1177\/08862605211064287"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_35_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Page M. J. McKenzie J. E. Bossuyt P. M. Boutron I. Hoffmann T. C. Mulrow C. D. Shamseer L. Tetzlaff J. M. Akl E. A. Brennan S. E. Chou R. Glanville J. Grimshaw J. M. Hr\u00f3bjartsson A. Lalu M. M. Li T. Loder E. W. Mayo-Wilson E. McDonald S. . . . & Moher D. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. The BMJ 372 Article n71. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/bmj.n71","DOI":"10.1136\/bmj.n71"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_36_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Qiu X. Fleury-Steiner R. E. Miller S. L. (2025). When calling the police exacerbates harm: Exploring the roles of intimate partner victimization and women\u2019s use of force. Journal of Family Violence 40(2) 329\u2013339. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s10896-023-00645-0","DOI":"10.1007\/s10896-023-00645-0"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_37_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Reeves E. McGowan J. Scott B. (2025). \u201cIt was dangerous corrosive and cruel but not illegal\u201d: Legal help-seeking behaviours amongst LGBTQA+ domestic and family violence victim-survivors experiencing coercive control in Australia. Journal of Family Violence 40(1) 27\u201338. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s10896-023-00569-9","DOI":"10.1007\/s10896-023-00569-9"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_38_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Robinson S. R. Ravi K. Voth Schrag R. J. (2021). A systematic review of barriers to formal help seeking for adult survivors of IPV in the United States 2005\u20132019. Trauma Violence & Abuse 22(5) 1275\u20131287. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/1524838020916254","DOI":"10.1177\/1524838020916254"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_39_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Russell M. Light L. (2006). Police and victim perspectives on empowerment of domestic violence victims. Police Quarterly 9(4) 375\u2013396. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/1098611104264495","DOI":"10.1177\/1098611104264495"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_40_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Sharpless L. Kershaw T. Knight D. Campbell J. Phillips K. Katague M. Willie T. (2024). Moving towards transformative justice for black women survivors of intimate partner violence: An intersectional qualitative study. BMC Public Health 24(1) Article 2730. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1186\/s12889-024-20244-y","DOI":"10.1186\/s12889-024-20244-y"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_41_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Shoham E. (2000). The Battered wife\u2019s perception of the characteristics of her encounter with the police. International Journal of Offender Therapy & Comparative Criminology 44(2) 242\u2013257. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/0306624x00442009","DOI":"10.1177\/0306624X00442009"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_42_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Stephens B. J. Sinden P. G. (2000). Victims\u2019 voices: Domestic assault victims\u2019 perceptions of police demeanor. Journal of Interpersonal Violence 15(5) 534\u2013547. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/088626000015005006","DOI":"10.1177\/088626000015005006"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_43_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1515\/9781400828609"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_44_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Wolf M. E. Uyen Ly Hobart M. A. Kernic M. A. (2003). Barriers to seeking police help for intimate partner violence. Journal of Family Violence 18(2) 121\u2013129. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1023\/a:1022893231951","DOI":"10.1023\/A:1022893231951"}],"container-title":["Trauma, Violence, &amp; Abuse"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/15248380261480166","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1177\/15248380261480166","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/15248380261480166","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,26]],"date-time":"2026-09-26T13:17:35Z","timestamp":1790428655000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/15248380261480166"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]]},"references-count":43,"alternative-id":["10.1177\/15248380261480166"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/15248380261480166","relation":{},"ISSN":["1524-8380","1552-8324"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1524-8380","type":"print"},{"value":"1552-8324","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]]},"article-number":"15248380261480166"}}