"iDoctor – Medical Blog"

Abstract  Community responses to domestic violence typically involve the introduction of multiple interventions. Yet very little is
known about the impact of the timing and sequencing of these interventions on community outcomes. A reason for this is the
inherent limitations of traditional methods in social science. New methods are needed to understand the effect of varying
the sequence and timing of interventions. This study responds to the issue by introducing system dynamics as a method for
modeling community interventions. The paper presents a model of domestic violence cases moving through a criminal justice
response, and uses the simulation model to evaluate the impact of implementing three interventions—mandatory arrest, victim
advocacy, and changes in level of cooperation—on two system-level outcomes: improving offender accountability and increasing
victim safety. Results illustrate the complex nature of these relationships. Implications for community practice and future
research are also discussed.