NCJ Number
176774
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 46 Issue: 11 Dated: November 1998 Pages: 55-57
Date Published
1998
Length
3 pages
Annotation
Domestic violence is discussed with respect to societal attitudes and laws, police agency responses, and the nature and extent of the problem.
Abstract
Domestic violence was perceived as a family dilemma and was generally ignored prior to 1970. The common perception was that domestic violence was all the victim's fault and that the victims were mostly minority women. However, women's grassroots organizations in the 1970s advocated new legislation against domestic assault and brought about significant changes that saved many lives. Social standards were changing by the 1980s to more intense enforcement policies. Police officers today are required to arrest the batterer. Victims are relieved from pressing charges and now have protection by law. The three stages of domestic violence are the tension-building stage, the violence explosion, and the honeymoon stage. Domestic violence is the most underreported crime in the United States. The Federal Bureau of Investigation reports that a woman is murdered by her husband or intimate partner every 6 hours; the Family Violence Prevention Fund estimates that a woman is physically abused every 9 seconds. Children are the innocent victims of domestic violence. Adolescent dating violence reflects an abusive home environment. The experience of the San Jose, Calif., police department exemplifies the increase in reporting of domestic violence and the changes in the police response to it. Photographs