Legal Help-Seeking Among Black, Latino, and White Men Who Have Experienced Intimate Partner Violence Victimization

Purpose: For victims of intimate partner violence (IPV), seeking legal help from police or attorneys can be a valuable source of validation, support, and protection. However, the legal help-seeking experiences of Black and Latino male IPV victims are understudied, resulting in a dearth of knowledge regarding how male victims’ race or ethnicity may impact their likelihood of and experiences with legal help-seeking. Method: We surveyed 1,194 men (299 Black, 596 Latino, and 299 White) who experienced IPV from a female partner about their rates of seeking help from the police and criminal, family/divorce, and immigration attorneys/court officials via an online panel. We also asked about men’s perceived helpfulness of those resources and the responses they received. Results: Legal help-seeking rates did not differ by race/ethnicity. Although Black, Latino, and White men reported receiving the same responses from police, Black men perceived police as more helpful than White men did. The men also reported similar responses from each type of attorney/court official, and their perceived helpfulness did not differ based on victim race/ethnicity. Conclusions: Findings suggest that while rates of legal help-seeking were approximately the same across race/ethnicity, Black, Latino, and White male IPV victims may have different expectations of police treatment, shaping perceptions of police helpfulness. Both researchers and service providers should continue to assess how Black, Latino, and White male IPV victims interact with police and the legal system to ensure these men receive the support and protection they need.