Additions, Omissions, and Transformations in Institutional ‘Retellings’ of Domestic Violence

Resumo

In this paper we examine how UK police officers investigating domestic
violence (DV) make a formal written case to Crown Prosecutors. Using rarely
accessed ‘management guidance’ reports (MG3 forms) we analyse how police of-
ficers’ written contributions appeal to relevance and how they can ‘nudge’ prosecutors
towards particular methods of case disposal, specifically, the ‘Simple Caution’.
We propose that linguistic strategies can reduce the likelihood of convictions,
and we raise serious concerns about the impact of police officers’ institutional
‘retellings’ in the pursuit of justice.