Domestic Violence Response Flashcards
7 cards from real MCOLES practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Domestic Violence Response flashcards as text
A victim tells you her abuser broke her phone so she could not call for help. This is an example of which tactic used by abusers?
Answer: Isolation through technology control
Destroying communication devices is a form of isolation and technology control, a recognized pattern of coercive control used by abusers.
During a DV investigation, a child in the home tells you they witnessed the assault. The officer should:
Answer: Interview the child separately in an age-appropriate manner and document the statement
Child witnesses should be interviewed separately from both parents, in an age-appropriate manner, and their statements carefully documented as potential evidence.
An officer responds to a DV call and discovers the alleged victim is the primary aggressor. The officer should:
Answer: Apply the dominant aggressor standard and arrest the primary physical threat
Even when the alleged victim is the aggressor, the dominant aggressor standard requires the officer to identify and arrest the party posing the greatest ongoing threat.
Under Michigan's strangulation statute (MCL 750.84), strangulation or suffocation in a domestic context is classified as:
Answer: A felony punishable by up to 10 years
Michigan law classifies strangulation or suffocation as a felony with up to 10 years imprisonment, reflecting the high lethality risk of this act.
When completing a lethality assessment at a DV scene, which factor most significantly elevates the risk of homicide?
Answer: The abuser has threatened to kill the victim or has previously used a weapon
Death threats and prior weapon use are among the strongest predictors of intimate partner homicide and must be documented and acted upon.
A victim recants her statement the day after the arrest. The prosecutor's ability to proceed with the case:
Answer: May continue using officer observations, photos, 911 recordings, and other evidence
Recantation does not automatically end prosecution; officers' independent evidence, 911 recordings, medical records, and witness statements can support the case without the victim's testimony.
When an officer serves an emergency PPO (ex parte) on a respondent, the respondent must be informed that:
Answer: They have the right to request a hearing to contest the PPO within a specified timeframe
Respondents served with an ex parte PPO must be told they have the right to request a hearing to contest it, typically within 14 days under Michigan court rules.