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The Effect of Sheltering in Place on Police Reports of Domestic Violence in the US

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  • Lin-chi Hsu
  • Alexander Henke

Abstract

This study analyzes the effect of sheltering in place in response to COVID-19 on domestic violence incidents in the US using novel daily mobile device tracking data, the timing of shelter-in-place orders, and dispatch and crime data from twenty-eight police departments in eighteen US states. Findings show that reports of domestic violence rise after local shelter-in-place orders are enacted and that domestic violence increases with measures of sheltering in place, as indicated by mobile device tracking data. This result is consistent with an exposure reduction theory of domestic violence and, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, underscores the importance of providing potential victims of violence with spaces that are safe from abusers and risk of infection. When applied to the entire US, it is estimated that sheltering in place increased domestic violence by approximately 6 percent, or more than 24,000 cases, from March 16 to April 30, 2020.HIGHLIGHTS Having to confine at home with an abuser can increase violence.Mobile device tracking data was used to measure the percentage of people who stayed at home all day.US police reports of domestic violence rose with shelter-in-place orders and fell when efforts relaxed.The real effect may be larger due to pandemic-related reporting issues.Economic and behavioral interventions for potential victims will not fully counteract the effects of exposure.

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  • Lin-chi Hsu & Alexander Henke, 2021. "The Effect of Sheltering in Place on Police Reports of Domestic Violence in the US," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(1-2), pages 362-379, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:femeco:v:27:y:2021:i:1-2:p:362-379
    DOI: 10.1080/13545701.2020.1830145
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    Cited by:

    1. Linchi Hsu & Alexander Henke, 2024. "Unemployment insurance generosity and intimate partner violence," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 22(4), pages 1461-1481, December.
    2. Alexander Henke & Linchi Hsu, 2022. "COVID-19 and Domestic Violence: Economics or Isolation?," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 43(2), pages 296-309, June.
    3. Bilge Erten & Pinar Keskin & Silvia Prina, 2022. "Social Distancing, Stimulus Payments, and Domestic Violence: Evidence from the US during COVID-19," AEA Papers and Proceedings, American Economic Association, vol. 112, pages 262-266, May.
    4. Maria Victoria Uribe Bohorquez & Isabel María García Sánchez, 2023. "Sustainability in times of crisis: Female employment during COVID‐19," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(6), pages 3124-3139, November.

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