After a decade of research, the deterrent effect of arrest on spouse abuse recidivism has not been clearly established. The pro-arrest movement has, however, emerged as the mainstay of public policy; an overly simplistic solution for a complex social problem. It is suggested that the continuing high rates of spouse abuse have less to do with the failure of police to arrest than to a collective failure of imagination. While arrest is an important option, an over-reliance on pro-arrest police procedures may have impeded the development of more comprehensive and imaginative social policies. Policy makers must look beyond the police in developing both long term and short term responses to spouse abuse.
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