Research Paper Undergraduate 503 words

Domestic Violence Abusers: PFA Order Study in Kansas

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Abstract

This paper reviews a descriptive study by Etter and Birzer (2007) examining the demographic characteristics and arrest histories of defendants named in Protection from Abuse (PFA) orders in Sedgwick County, Kansas. Drawing on court filings for nearly 1,873 accused abusers over approximately one year, the study found that perpetrators were predominantly male, mostly white, and had a mean age of 33.2 years. Many were recidivists with prior misdemeanor or felony arrests, and male offenders showed higher rates of prior arrest than females. The paper also identifies the study's key limitations and recommends directions for future research, including broader geographic sampling and the incorporation of data on substance abuse, income, and employment.

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What makes this paper effective

Concisely synthesizes the key findings of an academic study, presenting demographic data clearly and accurately without distortion.
Follows a logical structure that mirrors the source study: background, methodology, findings, limitations, and future directions.
Acknowledges the study's limitations honestly, demonstrating critical engagement with the source material rather than uncritical acceptance.

Key academic technique demonstrated

The paper demonstrates effective use of source attribution throughout, consistently crediting claims to the original researchers. It also models how to summarize a peer-reviewed empirical study while distinguishing between what was found and what was merely suggested or limited by the research design. The transition from findings to limitations to recommendations shows strong analytical sequencing.

Structure breakdown

The paper opens with a brief introduction to the study's purpose and context, then describes the methodology and sample. The core findings section presents specific statistics on abuser demographics and criminal histories. Two closing sections address the study's limitations and propose directions for future research, giving the paper a complete analytical arc from evidence to implication.

Introduction to the Study

The purpose of the study by Etter and Birzer (2007) was to characterize defendants in cases involving protection from abuse (PFA) orders in one Kansas county. The results were published in a peer-reviewed journal, and both researchers are affiliated with universities; their work draws extensively from academic literature on this topic. As they pointed out, domestic violence is a widespread problem in the United States, occurring every eighteen seconds (Paisner, 1989, cited in Etter and Birzer, 2007, p. 113) and across all socioeconomic classes and racial groups (Gilbert, 2001, cited in Etter and Birzer, 2007). A PFA order, unfortunately, does not necessarily stop the abuse.

Study Population and Methodology

The researchers reviewed data collected from PFA court filings over a period of approximately one year from Sedgwick County, Kansas, a metropolitan area with a population of over half a million and the largest urban area in the state. The study was descriptive in nature; the researchers sought to examine the general demographic characteristics of accused domestic violence offenders, review their arrest records, and determine whether there were differences in the records of female versus male abusers.

Key Findings on Abuser Characteristics

According to the study, accused abusers were overwhelmingly male (80.8%). Most were white (72.7%), with a mean age of 33.2 years. The study reviewed the records of 1,873 perpetrators of abuse of both genders and found that most had been arrested in the past for misdemeanor crimes. A smaller number had felony arrests. Accused male offenders were more likely to have a history of arrests than females. Many of the accused abusers of both genders were recidivists (Etter and Birzer, 2007, p. 117).

2 Locked Sections · 185 words remaining

50% of this paper shown

Limitations of the Study · 95 words

"Data gaps in geography, substance use, and employment"

Recommendations for Future Research · 90 words

"Broader samples and additional variables proposed"

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Key Concepts in This Paper

PFA Orders Domestic Violence Recidivism Abuser Demographics Gender Differences Arrest History Sedgwick County Misdemeanor Crimes Descriptive Study Abuse Prevention