[Goose]

And it is hard to know what would have happened in an alternate universe where a social worker comes to talk to him instead of the police.  If you want to ensure that he 1) is no longer a threat to anyone else and 2) doesn't hurt himself, arrest is the *easiest* option, but is it the best?  I honestly don't know how Sherman (or anyone else) would have reacted without the threat of arrest.  Would de-escalation have been possible?  Could it have worked?  Or would Sherman have ignored the social worker and walked off if he didn't want to talk to them?


Honestly, we don't have enough information here.



BC

It may not be the best option, but it is the ONLY option. It is the law. The laws have been changed so that in the case of domestic violence, the police MUST arrest the perpetrator, no matter what the current situation may be. These changes in the law happened because in too many cases the police arrived, talked to all the parties, got things calmed down, and then left. Later in the evening somebody ended up dead or badly injured. The public was outraged and the legislatures responded. I have personal knowledge of one case (where we bailed out the accused) where he and his girlfriend had gone to the ER the next day to get her sprained wrist looked at. Obviously things were smoothed over by that point. He was arrested basically on the spot. Everybody in the ER was apologizing, but for domestic battery, there is no other option. Turn the perp in and he will be arrested. Period.

[Goose]

And it is hard to know what would have happened in an alternate universe where a social worker comes to talk to him instead of the police.  If you want to ensure that he 1) is no longer a threat to anyone else and 2) doesn't hurt himself, arrest is the *easiest* option, but is it the best?  I honestly don't know how Sherman (or anyone else) would have reacted without the threat of arrest.  Would de-escalation have been possible?  Could it have worked?  Or would Sherman have ignored the social worker and walked off if he didn't want to talk to them?


Honestly, we don't have enough information here.



BC

It may not be the best option, but it is the ONLY option. It is the law. The laws have been changed so that in the case of domestic violence, the police MUST arrest the perpetrator, no matter what the current situation may be. These changes in the law happened because in too many cases the police arrived, talked to all the parties, got things calmed down, and then left. Later in the evening somebody ended up dead or badly injured. The public was outraged and the legislatures responded. I have personal knowledge of one case (where we bailed out the accused) where he and his girlfriend had gone to the ER the next day to get her sprained wrist looked at. Obviously things were smoothed over by that point. He was arrested basically on the spot. Everybody in the ER was apologizing, but for domestic battery, there is no other option. Turn the perp in and he will be arrested. Period.