Intimate Partner Violence Is The Subject of pp. 321 – 351 in Chapter 9 of the Tenth Edition

THE LATEST STATISTICS ABOUT THE FREQUENCY, SERIOUSNESS, AND CONSEQUENCES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

This webpage has a large number of specific fact-sheets along with infographics that illustrate the issues.

This fact sheet pulls together statistics about intimate partner violence from many sources.

STATISTICAL TRENDS IN REPORTED CASES OF IPV

INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE DROPPED SHARPLY OVER 20 YEARS UP TO 2010

Confirms trends that support the minimalist view on pp. 330-331 in Ch. 9 of the Tenth Edition

This statistical report based on victim disclosures on the Justice Department’s National Crime Victimization Survey indicates that IPV declined during the 1990s and has continued to slowly drift downward since then.

Read the Bureau Of Justice Statistics publication here.

BUT INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE BOUNCED BACK UP FROM 2016 TO 2018

Confirms trends that support the maximalist view on pp. 327-330 in Ch. 9 of the Tenth Edition

The findings of the Justice Department’s National Crime Victimization Survey for 2018 indicates that reported cases of IPV rose during the first two years of the Trump Administration, after a sharp decline in the final year of the Obama Administration. (See Table 16)

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TRUMP ADMINISTRATION UNDERMINES PROTECTIONS AGAINST GENDER BASED VIOLENCE

• Some gains women have made in recent years are being rolled back, according to this report (see items 48 to 56).
• Asylum-seeking women who are fleeing domestic violence within their homes in Central America are finding that the Trump Administration has set up many barriers at the border to their seeking refuge in the United States, as described here.

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SHELTER IN PLACE POLICIES DURING THE PANDEMIC MIGHT ENDANGER WOMEN AND GIRLS, U.N. WARNS

The United Nations has issued a report that raises concerns about the dangers of stay-at-home orders on women and girls who are vulnerable targets of intimate partner violence and other forms of domestic violence. The report highlights several innovative responses and suggests helpful policies, as described here.

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SUPERBOWL SUNDAY IS THE MOST DANGEROUS DAY FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS:  FACT OR URBAN LEGEND?

Each winter, as the day of the big football game approaches, stories appear about the heightened risks females face of male violence breaking out during this widely viewed sports event. But is this plausible claim backed up by statistical data? Read about this recurring debate about fact vs. fiction here, here, and more recently here.

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INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST LOOKS INTO ACTUAL CASES OF FATAL INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE

The details of some real life cases dramatize the issues surrounding Intimate Partner Violence and the efforts currently underway to curb it are presented here._

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SOCIAL JUSTICE WEBSITE POSTS CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS CONCERNING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

A social justice organization has undertaken the task of sorting through the news for items about family and intimate partner violence, See the many items collected here.

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WHY DOES DOMESTIC VIOLENCE STILL CLAIM SO MANY LIVES OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN?

Many mass shootings and murder-suicides are outgrowths of domestic violence, as examined here.

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STUDY REVEALS THE CONNECTION BETWEEN GUN VIOLENCE AND INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE

Firearms play a major role in fatal and near-fatal assaults by men against their intimate partners. About 50 women are shot and killed each month by an intimate partner. Nearly 1 million women currently living in the U.S. have been shot or shot at by their intimate partners, and another 4.5 million women have reported that were threatened with a gun, Abusers possessing a gun are much more likely to kill their victims, according to the evidence presented in this report.

Do Red Flag Laws” Actually Save Lives?

Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs) are issued when “red flags” are discovered in a relationship. The removal of guns could save lives, and even head off some mass shootings, according to some cases cited here and here.

But researchers committed to gun ownership question whether red flag laws in the 17 states that have them really work, according to this study.

WHEN A VICTIM OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE GETS AN ORDER OF PROTECTION, SHOULD HER ESTRANGED PARTNER HAVE TO TURN IN HIS GUNS?

Dramatizes the issue of the value of restraining orders, as cited on p. 271 of Ch. 9; also illustrates the issue of victims’ rights gained at the expense of suspects, defendants, and offenders rights, as examined on p. 412 of Ch. 13.

One aspect of the current debate over gun ownership centers on battered women who obtain court orders against their intimate partners: would she be safer if he was compelled to hand over any firearms in his possession? Different states handle this dilemma of  the rights of victims vs. the rights of offenders in different ways, as outlined in this article. Read about some tragic cases and note some important statistics here.

What does an order of protection look like? See a fully-filled out form here.

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A CLOSER LOOK AT THE KILLINGS OF FEMALE INTIMATE PARTNERS BY MALES

Expands upon the data appearing in the graph in Figure 9.1 on p. 334 of the Tenth Edition.

Domestic violence is trending downward. However, the danger of lethal violence unleashed by males against females remains a real threat.

A study of “When Men Murder Women” reveals that from 1996 to 2017, the rate of females murdered by males decreased 18 percent from 1.57 per 100,000 females in 1996 to 1.29 for every 100,000 females in 2017. But the lowest level of 1.08 was registered in 2014, so these killings have actually increased over a three year period, according to this annual report based on FBI SHR files.

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A PORTRAIT OF A TROUBLED RELATIONSHIP

An award-winning gallery of photographs chronicles a family in which the parents fight in front of the children, the man beats the woman, and an arrest ensues, as pictured here.

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WHO IS THE VICTIM AND WHO IS THE OFFENDER CAN BE UNCLEAR IN CERTAIN CASES OF INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE

Illustrates the controversy surrounding battered women who resort to violence in self-defense, as discussed in Chapter  9

A wife whose jealous husband was choking her got a very stiff sentence for firing a warning shot into a wall. Her case dramatizes the complexities of determining who is really the victim, what constitutes the legitimate use of force in self-defense, and when the provisions of the “stand your ground” apply. Read about the case and see the video here.

A woman plunges a knife into her abusive boyfriend, killing him in the midst of an attack. She is jailed and charged with murder, but with the assistance of an organization that assists battered women, she is able to plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter and gets sentenced to probation, as recounted here.

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WHY DOESN’T SHE JUST LEAVE HIM?

This common question is addressed  by a woman who escaped from an abusive mate in this video..

WHY DO SOME WOMEN RETURN TO THEIR ABUSERS? HERE ARE SOME EXPLANATIONS TO THIS TROUBLING QUESTION

When observers get impatient, and declare, “Just leave!” they are overlooking the complexities of the situation. Careless remarks by a member of Congress inspired this thoughtful essay about “why they stay” as explored here.

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BATTERED WOMEN WHO SLAY THEIR ABUSIVE MATES: ARE THEY MURDERERS OR VICTIMS PROTECTING THEMSELVES?

Provides a real life case that raise this issue, which is analyzed in considerable detail in Chapter 9 of the Ninth and Tenth Edition.

This TV show examines the case of a women who was considered guilty of murder by the criminal justice system and sentenced to la lengthy prison term. But was she really a victim who killed in self-defense, an alternative perspective that is raised in this interview.

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A CLOSER LOOK AT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CASES IN WHICH THE BATTERER IS A POLICE OFFICER

Points to a type of domestic violence victim whose plight recently has been “rediscovered” by police administrators.

The problem of officers abusing their intimate partners apparently is not taken as seriously as it should be, according to investigative journalists who based their conclusions on a survey of over 50 departments. The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) has called for “zero tolerance” and has put forward a model policy, but very few departments have adopted it, according to this article.

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BATTERED MUSLIM WOMEN FACE SPECIAL CHALLENGES

These victims are often pressured to suffer in silence by members of their community. And they are reluctant to come forward because they fear their revelations will fuel Islamaphobia, as described in the article here. as well as in this interview.

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HERE IS A TYPE OF INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE THAT IS OFTEN OVERLOOKED AND RARELY DISCUSSED: AMONG TEENAGERS

Adds another form of teen dating violence, as discussed on p. 281 in Ch. 9.

Abusive and controlling young men might forcibly or coercively tatoo their girlfriends to brand them as “private property,” as a way of telling other guys to steer clear. View an interview and read about it here.

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HERE IS ANOTHER TYPE OF INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE THAT IS OFTEN OVERLOOKED AND RARELY DISCUSSED

Young women who suffer violence from a “lover” can be coerced into getting pregnant and bearing the abuser’s child. View a video about their plight here.

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A WIFE IN THE PROCESS OF DIVORCING HER HUSBAND IS FEARFUL OF A GUN IN THE HOUSE

Women often get battered or even killed when they try to escape the clutches of a violent and possessive partner. A wife who is a graduate of an ivy league college and is currently  a law school student hands over to the police an unlicensed powerful handgun loaded with armor-piercing ammunition, getting her estranged husband, a professional basketball player,  in serious trouble with the law. She says she was not menaced by him but feared he might use the weapon on himself. Read about the troubled relationship here. Many commentators criticize here, but a few defend her actions of getting the gun out of the house.

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WHEN A VICTIM PRESSES CHARGES AND THE INTIMATE PARTNER IS RELEASED ON BAIL, SHOULD HE HAVE TO WEAR AN ELECTRONIC MONITORING BRACELET?

Illustrates improvements in the way cases are handled, as discussed in Ch. 9; also highlights how a victim’s right to safety can be gained at the expense of suspects, defendants, and offenders rights, as examined in Ch. 13.

In California,  domestic violence defendants out on bail awaiting trial, and convicted persons on bail awaiting sentencing must wear a bracelet. Now Maine is considering similar legislation that would monitor the whereabouts of intimate partners in the name of protecting victims from further assaults. Read about the proposed legislation here.

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NEW PROGRAM TRIES TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF IPV VICTIMS

A program called Early Victim Engagement (EVE) was introduced in Brooklyn to tackle two problems: victims of intimate partner violence often drop out of the criminal justice process, and abusers often re-offend. Does contacting the woman early in the process, after the abuser is arraigned, help to solve these problems? Read the report here.

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A NATIONWIDE CAMPAIGN AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IS UNDERWAY

Read about the “No More” campaign to raise public consciousness about the plight of battered women and survivors of sexual attacks here and here.

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A WOMAN ON TRIAL FOR SLAYING HER BOYFRIEND CLAIMED TO BE A VICTIM

Is this another real-life case of a battered woman who has slain the man that tormented her in self-defense, as cited in Ch. 9? The jury did not think so, and convicted her of murder.

She insisted that she has survived brutal beatings, and as part of her defense strategy, she asked her supporters to contribute money to help other woman who have suffered intimate partner violence, as described here.  (The jury rejected her arguments. She was convicted of murder).

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A BATTERED WOMAN TELLS HER STORY

As noted in Ch. 9, even with the improved societal responses, intimate partner violence remains under-reported.

Most women feel reluctant to share their problems with strangers. But on the website of an organization that provides assistance to battered women in New York City, a woman recounts her plight here.

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A BATTERED WOMAN IS KIDNAPPED BUT RESCUED JUST IN TIME BY HER FAMILY

A woman who suffered numerous attacks by a possessive ex-boyfriend is kidnapped by him. A police manhunt locates her car but not her. But her family gets a tip that she is being held in a house nearby. So that arm themselves, charge in, rescue the captive as he is stabbing her, and shoot him to death. It appears that the killing will be ruled a justifiable homicide since he was inflicting severe bodily harm on the hostage at the moment he was shot, as recounted here.

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DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IS A MAJOR CAUSE OF HOMELESSNESS

• A study that focuses on New York City documents that domestic violence has surpassed evictions due to rising rents as the major driver of homelessness for women, as presented here.
• A collection of studies that shed light on the relationship between domestic violence and homelessness has been assembled by the federal  government’s DHHS Administration For Children and Families Family and Youth Services Bureau   appears here.
• A fact sheet drawing up many different studies highlights the connections between domestic violence and homelessness, as assembled here.
• A survey of “unsheltered” people found that transgender and non-binary individuals were disproportionately suffering from homelessness, partly because of family tensions and conflicts, as documented here.
• A civil liberties group assembles facts linking domestic violence to homelessness in this infographic.

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IN SOME JURISDICTIONS, BATTERED WOMEN CAN BE CONSIDERED “UNRULY TENANTS” AND CAN GET EVICTED

Illustrates a shortcoming in the way cases are handled, as discussed in Ch. 9; also highlights how a victim’s right to safety can be jeopardized if she is blamed as partly at fault for “disturbances.”

Some places have enacted laws that pressure landlords to evict tenants (mostly those involved in the drug scene) whose behavior is unruly and disturbs the peace of their neighbors. But these same ordinances can cause a dilemma for battered women, who can lose their homes if they call 911 for help during a beating. Read about how this situation of punishing victims for complaining about crimes committed against them is being challenged by civil liberties groups here.

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SOMETIMES THE VICTIM OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IS A MAN

Provides an example of “battered men” as discussed in Ch. 9.

Domestic violence offenders are not always males, and the victims are not always females, of course. Here is a case where a former soldier who became a cheerleader for a professional football team called 911 but the police arrested her after they found evidence that she scratched and punched her boyfriend after a night of heavy drinking. Read about their lover’s quarrel here.

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THE PROBLEM OF

STALKING

Stalking is discussed on pp. 426-432 in Chapter 11 of the tenth edition.

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SOMETIMES THE VICTIM OF STALKING IS A MAN

Provides an up-to-date example of celebrity stalking, as cited mentioned in Chapter 11.

Celebrity-stalking was the first kind of menacing behavior to be recognized and criminalized. In this case, a movie star and talk-show personality was the victim, and a woman who claimed he had wronged her was the offender sent to jail for harassing him. Read a restrained account of the courtroom drama here, and then a columnist’s questioning of who is the real victim here.

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PROGRAM PROVIDES ASSISTANCE AND SUPPORT                      TO STALKING VICTIMS IN NEW YORK CITY

The same organization that helps victims of intimate partner violence also assists stalking victims. View their webpage to find out the services they offer here.

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What Should You Do If You Are Being Stalked?

An organization suggests some practical “tips” for stalking victims here.

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SPYWARE ON SMARTPHONES FACILITATES THE CYBERSTALKING OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS

Listen to how technology is misused by very controlling men to track down the whereabouts of the women who have escaped their clutches (and perhaps have taken refuge in shelters) in this radio program.