Federal Responses To Domestic Violence

Family violence broadly refers to acts of physical and sexual violence and emotional abuse perpetrated by individuals against family members. The federal government has responded to various forms of family violence, including violence involving spouses and other intimate partners, children, and the elderly. The focus of this book is on the federal response to domestic violence under the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA). "Domestic violence" is used in this book to describe violence among intimate partners, including those involved in dating relationships. A survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found that approximately 7 million women and 5.7 million men experienced physical violence, rape, and/or stalking by their intimate partners in 2010. Also that year, 16.6 million women and 20.5 million men experienced emotional abuse by their intimate partners, such as attempting to keep victims from communicating with loved ones. Domestic violence is associated with multiple negative outcomes for victims, including mental and physical health effects.

Family violence broadly refers to acts of physical and sexual violence and emotional abuse perpetrated by individuals against family members. The federal government has responded to various forms of family violence, including violence involving spouses and other intimate partners, children, and the elderly. The focus of this book is on the federal response to domestic violence under the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA). "Domestic violence" is used in this book to describe violence among intimate partners, including those involved in dating relationships. A survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found that approximately 7 million women and 5.7 million men experienced physical violence, rape, and/or stalking by their intimate partners in 2010. Also that year, 16.6 million women and 20.5 million men experienced emotional abuse by their intimate partners, such as attempting to keep victims from communicating with loved ones. Domestic violence is associated with multiple negative outcomes for victims, including mental and physical health effects.

Drawing on cases, Stark identifies the problems with our current approach to domestic violence, outlines the components of coercive control, and then uses this alternate framework to analyse the cases of battered women charged with criminal offenses directed at their abusers.

A fresh look at the response to domestic violence in the United States today by experts in their field. Responding to Domestic Violence explores the response to domestic and intimate partner violence by the criminal justice system as well as public and non-profit social service and health care agencies. After providing a brief theoretical overview of the causes of domestic violence and its prevalence in society, the expert author team covers such key topics as barriers to intervention, variations in arrest practices, the role of state and federal legislation, and case prosecution. Focusing on both survivors and offenders, the book provides a thorough exploration of modern strategies to address the realities and needs of all survivors. The new edition offers new chapters on Special Populations at Risk, Victim Services, Coercive Control, Intimate Partner Stalking, and Civil and Criminal Protection Orders. All remaining chapters have been substantially or completely rewritten to reflect the growing body of research in the field.

A fresh look at the response to domestic violence in the United States today. This new edition of the bestselling Responding to Domestic Violence explores the response to domestic violence today, not only by the criminal justice system, but also by public and non-profit social service and health care agencies. After providing a brief theoretical overview of the causes of domestic violence and its prevalence in our society, the authors cover such key topics as barriers to intervention, variations in arrest practices, the role of state and federal legislation, and case prosecution. Focusing on both victims and offenders, the book includes unique chapters on models for judicial intervention, domestic violence and health, and children and domestic violence. In addition, this edition provides an in-depth discussion of the concept of coercive control in domestic violence and its importance in understanding victim needs. Finally, this volume includes international perspectives in order to broaden the reader′s understanding of alternative responses to the problem of domestic violence.

This volume addresses the varied response to domestic violence in a comparative, international context. The chapters are laid out in a consistent format, to cover: the nature of the domestic violence problem, theoretical explanations, the criminal justice response, as well as health care and social service interventions in each country. The intent of the book is to provide an introduction to the attitudes and responses to domestic violence in various regions, to provide meaningful comparisons and share information on best practices for different populations and regions. There are considerable variations to domestic violence approaches across cultures and regions. In some places, it is considered a “private” or “family” matter, which can help it perpetuate. At the same time, the United States’ approach to domestic violence has been criticized by some as being too focused on the criminal justice system, rather than other types of interventions which aim to keep families intact. This comprehensive work aims to highlight innovative approaches from several regions, important cultural sensitivities and concerns, and provide analysis to identify the strengths and weakness of various approaches. This work will be of interest to researchers in criminology and criminal justice, as well as related fields who deal with domestic violence and violence against women, including sociology and social work, and international justice. Practitioners and policymakers will also find it informative.