NCJ Number
227564
Journal
Aggression and Violent Behavior Volume: 14 Issue: 3 Dated: May/June 2009 Pages: 194-204
Date Published
June 2009
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This paper examines legal consequences of intimate partner violence.
Abstract
Results indicate that punishing consequences of aggression, including legal interventions, could serve to lessen or eliminate violence in the current relationships and also circumvent possible aggression in future relationships. The paper first discusses the definitions, prevalence, and gender factors that interact in the manifestation of dating violence; it is clear that dating violence affects a significant proportion of individuals and necessitates careful clinical and empirical consideration. The remainder of the paper addresses the possible legal consequences of intimate partner violence broadly - factors that contribute to legal involvement and various judicial and relationship barriers that exist for many dating couples who are experiencing violence. The fact that many individuals engaging in aggression in their dating relationships do not interact with the legal system or other punishing consequences after aggression, may contribute to future perpetration. Finally, challenges for dealing with aggression in dating relationships, both within the legal system and in the context of secondary prevention, are discussed in order to ensure that individuals are exposed to appropriate learning experiences that would presumably function to suppress aggressive behavior in their dating relationships. Implications of this review for clinicians, law enforcement, judiciary officials, and prevention programmers addressing dating violence are provided, along with directions for future research. References