For most of United States history, the police did not intervene in domestic violence. To redress for this history, police departments began implementing mandatory arrest policies in the 1980s. These policies require police to arrest in cases of domestic violence when injuries are present, regardless of victim consent. Drawing on two years of ethnographic research conducted in central Pennsylvania, including participant observation in a domestic violence unit of a police department and interviews with police officers, this paper examines how mandatory arrest policies extend the spatial reach of the state into private space and intimate relationships. Specifically, I argue that the policing of domestic violence positions police officers as neoliberal subjects responsible for mediating abusive relationships on behalf of the state. This paper contributes to geographic research on policing in the private sphere, while also offering a detailed accounting of the mechanics of police practice.

中文翻译：

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警务地域：家庭暴力，强制逮捕和警察责任

在美国的大部分历史中，警察都没有干预家庭暴力。为了纠正这一历史，警察部门在1980年代开始实施强制逮捕政策。这些政策要求警察在存在伤害的家庭暴力案件中进行逮捕，无论受害者是否同意。借助在宾夕法尼亚州中部进行的两年的人种志研究，包括在警察局的家庭暴力部门进行参与者观察以及对警察的采访，本文研究了强制逮捕政策如何将国家的空间范围扩展到私人空间和亲密关系。我特别指出，维持家庭暴力的治安将警察定位为新自由主义主体，负责代表国家调解虐待性关系。