Score contribution per author:
α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count
State‐specific statutes providing legal consequences for perpetrating domestic violence in the presence of a child have been enacted across the United States between 1996 and 2012. This paper examines the impact of this child welfare legislation, using a difference‐in‐differences approach. We find a significant drop in domestic violence‐related homicide rates, when considering a wide range of victim–offender relationships. However, this result does not hold for marital homicides, suggesting that for this subpopulation, the risk of reprisal and consequent reduction in reporting may be counterbalancing the hypothesized deterrent impacts of the legislation.