Attorney General's Report - FAMILY VIOLENCE: Task Force Calls - September 24, 1984

Sep 29, 2026

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Attorney General William French Smith’s office published a September 24, 1984 report from the Task Force on Family Violence urging the criminal justice system to treat family abuse—including spousal abuse, child molestation, and mistreatment of elderly relatives—as seriously as crimes outside the home. The report calls for stronger intervention by law enforcement, prosecutors, judges, improved data collection, coordinated federal leadership, and measures such as arrest presumptions, sensitive handling of child testimony, and victim-centered community action.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

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Pages11

Reading Time28 min

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Attorney General's Report

FAMILY VIOLENCE: Task Force Calls for Criminal Justice System Intervention in Homes

PLEASE CHANGE YOUR RECORDS

Vol.18 No.38 September 24,1984 # Attorney General's Report: ## FAMILY VIOLENCE TASK FORCECALLS FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICESYSTEM INTERYENTION IN HOMES Focuses On Spouse And ChildAbuse,Mistreatment Of Elderly A Justice Department Task Force on Sept.19urged the nation's criminal justice system to treatphysical and sexual abuse within the family as beingno less serious than such acts when they occur out-side the family unit. The final report of the Attorney General'sTask Force on Family Violence called on lawenforcement officers,prosecutors,juvenile justicepersonnel and judges to intervene vigorously in casesof spouse abuse,mistreatment of elderly relatives,and abuse and molestation of children by familymembers. “A victim of family violence is no less a victimthan one set upon by strangers,"said Detroit PoliceChief William Hart,chairman of the nine-memberTask Force. “The legal response to family violence mustbe guided primarily by the nature of the abusiveact,not the relationship between the victim andabuser,"the report said.“Progress against theproblem of family violence must begin with thecriminal justice system." In accepting the report,Attorney GeneralWilliam French Smith supported this prescription. “For too long our legal system has not ade-quately protected the victims of family violence,"he said. (Continued on page two) ## A Comprohonsive and Indopondont Nows Summary for the LaW EnforemantProfesiona IN THIS ISSUE ## FAMILY VIOLENCE:Task Force Calls For Law Enforcement Intervention ......1CHILD SEX ABUSE:Guidebook Available....3DRUG STORE THEFTS:Now A Federal Crime..3WeTIP:Honors WCNS Publisher.......4WASHINGTON REPORT... ......4TEXAS CHIEF:Gets A Real Shock ......6WITNESS SECURITY:Investigative Report Released In Congress..,......6INTERPOL:Elects New President.......7NARCOTICS CONFERENCE: Important Dialogue Initiated.........7PRISONERS:Don't Do Much Time...,..9URBAN DISORDERS:Conference Planned ..10 ## PLEASE CHANGE YOUR RECORDS The National Sheriffs'Association moved itsheadquarters offices to Virginia on Sept.17.Theirnew address and telephone number are: The National Sheriffs'Association1450 Duke StreetAlexandria,VA 22314Phone:703-836-STAR CRIME CONTROL DIGEST Smith said that while primary responsibilityfor dealing with family violence rests at the stateand local levels,the Federal Government can pro-vide leadership by focusing attention on the severityof the problem. “We will not let this report sit idly on a shelf,”he said. Smith said the Department of Justice wouldcoordinate its efforts with the Department ofHealth and Human Services(HHS),as well as withother Federal agencies which have family violenceprograms. The Task Force report made these pointsabout the prevalence of violent acts committedwithin the family: ●Nearly 20 percent of all murders involvefamily relationships(FBI Uniform CrimeReports); ● Almost a third of female homicide victimsare killed by their husbands or boyfriends(FBI/UCR); ● Ascertainable reported cases of child abuseand neglect have doubled from 1976 to1981(American Humane Association study,1982). Except for murder statistics,the Task Forcefound the data measuring the extent of family vio-lence vary tremendously. "Legal experts regard family violence casesto be among the most underreported of any crime,”the report said. ## Task Force Recommendations The Task Force recommended that better data collec-tion procedures for such offenses be an objective during theredesign of the Uniform Crime Reports,published by the FBI,and the National Crime Survey,published by the Bureau ofJustice Statistics,a research arm of the Justice Department. The report recommended arrest,prosecution and sen-tencing procedures aimed at minimizing additional traumafor victims while holding the perpetrators accountable fortheir actions. September 24,1984 For law enforcement the recommendations includethe presumption that abusers should be arrested.Wi

FAQs

What is the Task Force report’s main call regarding family violence?

The report urges the criminal justice system to treat physical and sexual abuse within families as seriously as abuse committed outside the family unit.

Which groups does the report urge to intervene in family violence cases?

It calls for law enforcement officers, prosecutors, juvenile justice personnel, and judges to intervene vigorously in cases involving spouse abuse, mistreatment of elderly relatives, and abuse of children by family members.

What recommendations does the report make for criminal justice procedures?

Recommendations include better data collection, procedures that minimize additional trauma for victims while holding perpetrators accountable, presumptions favoring arrest, requiring reports from investigating officers, and encouraging prosecutors to stop requiring victims to sign formal complaints to initiate prosecution.

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by Grenda