NCJ Number
185765
Date Published
2000
Length
6 pages
Annotation
According to the author, the Violence Against Women Act allows the Federal government rather than just States to prosecute some domestic violence cases, thus sending a clear message that violence against women is a serious crime.
Abstract
The author believes, however, that even the toughest laws will not stop domestic violence until all Americans change their attitudes toward such abuse. The Violence Against Women Act contains tough penalties for persons convicted of crossing State lines to assault a spouse or a domestic partner. Tough new laws represent one way of reducing domestic violence and sexual assault, but public attitudes toward family affairs also need to be changed in the case of domestic violence. The Department of Justice recognizes State governments, courts, and law enforcement agencies need help and guidance in developing procedures to protect women and resources to provide needed services. Training and technical assistance are critical elements in an effective effort to prevent domestic violence. In particular, training programs for police officers are important because police officers often lack the information and resources they need to refer female victims of domestic violence to service providers and to pursue criminal charges against batterers. Grants funded by the Violence Against Women Act can also be used to create specialized police and prosecution units to deal with domestic violence and sexual assault cases. Experiences in several cities indicate specialized police domestic violence units can make a difference in crime rates. Overall, a combination of tough laws, effective prosecution, education, community involvement, and cooperation between law enforcement and social service agencies should accomplish a great deal in the area of domestic violence prevention.