MC13 Police Response to Family Abduction Episodes Davi Gerald T. Hotaling crimes and family problems is neither well understood nor routinely addressed. In fact, we lack representative data to answer even the most basic questions about police family problems. in disputes over custody is incecent years ( police response: 1 of Sociology, University of Virginia. DAVID iy Research Laboratory, University of New Hampshire Department of Criminal Juss, Universiy of Masss- ‘meetings of he American Society of Criminology in Poenis, Arizona, November CRIME & DELINWUENCY, Vl 41 No.2, Ap 195 205.218 (©Suge Pabicaos a 205nou stuaxed [e1porsno woies peoueyua st pley> 24} fo Asox0D94 0 29uEy> 1 poronpge atp jo wanas amp ayENTSey ‘isons uononpah (6861 ouegaep) Ww: i HEU stsADU09 Jo asme>2% ju pus asnqe py UL asim sBuNrA axeuE !A SmsoULOp UI UORUDAZATU! aOH}Od SuOMERIIS awOs UE YeYA parseBEns sey "rouy ul "yorwoses atos “(E661 LEUIEZYS puE IpIUN|og) RuywODHLIO§ U9Bq OU sey siu2p!out oxminy 2919p 01 ysause Jo asn sip Bumsoddns aouopIAa auyHNDIDS ‘asnjauo> ‘ajdurex9 40} '20u9|0Ia apsautop Jo siuaproU! J0J Aaoqepuew preworaa0uriuasarayg joonds uy saumt9 fury Jo ‘ano aanysod ‘ajqemnseaur Sue ut synsoy uonUaA.oIu 3eNN ZoUDpLAD >-12/9 430 39e] & St azoKN uoNUDsLa}U! aayod Jo 199}39 941 PERSE Uke “AMO, ‘djay 20) sisonbou saindsip vs ‘SSupury 2504p uD rp Jo sSoUSNOUDS oy) 3 ue "(2661 HOH Pur 19 ren aaysua89 paosojuroy aq stolp azinbas you 0661 emezng pue essezng) sase9 a0uaj0r8 ansoUwOp.o) asuodsas 19 uoaq sey sstaK ¢z 1Sed ay 3980 90U9 suosiod fjuimjuou Sursjonuy sasuayjo se sow EIPAS) I991HoU pue asnge Jo suldo} 2410 ut axe Kaxp uetn“osnge reaisdyd pure fenxas se Yons au aN[eUs PlyD Jo SuLz0y sNOLOS aJ0U UI Pasfonut 9q pur 221U 0991 01 KIO%, aio! osje are aotjod 24) "}9}80u pure asnge pyys Jo saseo uy “(O66 SMES wt aSNodSaW aD TIA sg pue sojuey-teusjMey}) 201J0d ayp 01 perodas oq 01 Afaxtf sv SUNN snO} UPYD Si0ur ase 29U3{014 an aynsas 01 App soto u “Sumo fysuiey say. 40} rey wey s04 814 9q [IL SuONaNpE fy] 40} 403 Fut suodas aatjod 24 ey oxpard pnom 2m aouoq] “wmoujun Zujaq syMoqeas94y%6 yo B JO WaUOT2 ayI a4jOAUE Os[e Kou KyD Inq ‘SOUNLZD aze suoHINpAe 24 (0661 “TE 1 4oMjayuL}) S19yeIAIe9 40 sruasEd £q 2aII0d 24} on porsodea 212M BR6T UL aUIOY wos} Kome Ue OY SIUDDSDIOPE JO 50h yuo otp uy a[o3 sour © padi uno} wouneantew py Jo uonFo901 ax Jo épms aousyeAaid (6161 WeUMEPS %9661 SHENG PUR OWE -wEUYgTE 99s) 246 Pur J UaDMNIDg Aqjesoua8 ame osnge osnods Jo Sumioday yo soyeunsg °mo} jure} inoge Ayjeay9eds suonsanb anoy axp 0) parepes Suinbut ‘yp Butanionns ur ydjoy st asuas porous’ w ut auss9 Ayu Jo uorinjosas 24h lu} yuaur9sjoaut aotjod jo suratyed Suipre8ox aunqesonyaqp Jo vonwunwexy SSTHLOUAH 4O INIWGLYIS ANY SANSST ‘TVMINAD oO ATIATY THIN ATI NIINGNGONOANT MYT 1 FTOM FHL {Epeaqoaur preyD e or joan aposida wo i9y}2 oaey uon, S20p tjuno, {suonoe asoq) ssosse stuased op aay pu sasea ‘uononpqe ui 2uansaiey op Katy uous aye) 2>1]0d op suoroe Hs ‘pA, :20H Cop req 2s0up wosy s2yrp uonuaxsaqut 2oy[0d aayoaur Te Soposide uoT}OAPqE {ures op moy ‘puooag ,uonanpge Kisure Jo stuapraur ut uonuaazasty aorjod 430 owanboxy xp 1 yey ‘ssiy “suonsonb nog ssauppe aa ‘Kpeotsisads ‘powodar ou ‘20m yup swuane Yns so dnor8 wosyeduioo v se {J%4 sv aayjod 2yp 0; pouiodas SOOT INLAY /KONANONITEA¥ ANTE 907208 CRIME. & DELINQUENCY Al enforcement early. In addition, research has found that the risk of physical or mental harm to the child is related to the duration of the episode (Agopian 1984; Plass, Finkelhor, and Hotaling unpublished), so that an early return of the child would seemingly minimize such harm as well. We wi influence of police intervention on two episode outcomes, namel and whether a child was harmed. We predict that police intervention will ‘result in episodes of shorter duration and less harm to involved children, Each ofthe issues outlined above will be examined in our analyses of data from a recent national survey on family abductions, The National Incidence Thrownaway te the full spectrum ofthe fa survey and garnered information on a wide variety of family abduction events, varying in terms of duration, seriousness, and outcome. Most important for our purposes here, NISMART uncovered both episodes that were reported to. the police and those that were not reported to law enforcement agencies. NISMART is virtually the only such source of data on family abductions drawn from a representative sample of the general population, rather than from of court reports, feature makes the data a unique source for examining the role of tervention in such events, METHODOLOGY in responding to the NISMART ly review a few key features of the study methodology. NISMART used a household telephone survey to gather data oon the yearly incidence of various missing-child events, including those ms. The survey, which was conducted in selected households (representing a response rate of 89.2% of households known to have children) who reported on the experiences of 20,505 children age 17 or younger. (For more detail on the sample and methodology, see Sedlak, Mohadjer, McFarland, and Hudock 1990). ‘Two definitions or characterizations of family abduction were used in the study. A broad scope family abduction was defined as: (a) situations in which jon of acustody agreement or dec ly member (in violation of acustody agreet Pass etl.) POLICE RESPONSE 209 ‘or decree) failed to eturn achild atthe end ofa legal or agreed-upon visitation Period, with the child being away at least one additional night in these cases. Asecond, policy focal definition of constructed, iny broad scope episode that 8: (a) an attempt was made ‘and to prevent contact with was transported out of state, (c) there was ntended to keep t policy focal designation is some ator of more serious episodes. imes also used as FREQUENCY OF POLICE CONTACT ceases (involving a total of 55 ck 5). This reporting rate is clearly high when compare: crises like adolescents running away from home, FACTORS INFLUENCING THE LIKELIHOOD OF POLICE CONTACT As stated above, reporting of other family crimes seems to be related to characteristics of the episodes, with more serious eve We expected that episode characteristics wo ining whether parents decided to contact agencies about a family abduction. However, we were also ing the social/demographic characteristics of abducted children and play aro in predicting the likelihood ofintervention by law enforcement agencies.