Women’s stories of non-fatal strangulation: Informing the criminal justice response

2020 ◽  
pp. 174889582094960
Author(s):  
Heather Douglas ◽  
Robin Fitzgerald
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
American States ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Criminal Justice Response ◽  
Do So

Non-fatal strangulation is commonly reported by women who have experienced intimate partner violence and it has been identified as both an immediate risk to health and life but also a risk for future serious harm and even death. While some Australian states and Canada have followed the lead of American states in introducing criminal offences of non-fatal strangulation the United Kingdom is yet to do so. Non-fatal strangulation offences have come with challenges of definition and identification. The success of criminal justice responses requires an understanding of the ways in which women understand and describe their non-fatal strangulation victimisation. We analyse 24 women’s experiences of non-fatal strangulation as a basis for considering how to ensure that jurisdictions considering introduction of a new non-fatal strangulation offence or reform of an existing offence do not reproduce obstacles to prosecution and legal recognition and suggest a model definition of non-fatal strangulation for an offence.

Coercive control: To criminalize or not to criminalize?

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia R Tolmie
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Intimate Relationship ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Controlling Behaviour ◽  
Criminal Justice Response

Criminalizing coercive or controlling behaviour in an intimate relationship, as has been done in England and Wales and is proposed in Scotland, has the advantage of offering an offence structure to match the operation and wrong of intimate partner violence. This article raises the question as to whether other jurisdictions should follow suit. It argues that the successful implementation of such an offence may require a complexity of analysis that the criminal justice system is not currently equipped to provide and will require significant reforms in practice and thinking. If it is not successful such an offence could conceivably operate to minimize the criminal justice response to intimate partner violence and be used to charge primary victims.

Victim, Police, and Prosecutorial Responses to Same-Sex Intimate Partner Violence: A Comparative Approach

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 206-227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brendan Lantz
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Comparative Approach ◽  
Sex Partners ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Opposite Sex ◽  
And Bisexual ◽  
Criminal Justice Response

Research on intimate partner violence (IPV) and the criminal justice response to such incidents is extensive, but the majority of this research has focused on IPV perpetrated by men against women in heterosexual partnerships. Yet, recent research has indicated that the prevalence of IPV among LGB (lesbian, gay, and bisexual) individuals may be as high as or higher than that of the general population. At the same time, a significant body of research has examined police and prosecutorial responses to IPV; again, the overwhelming majority of this research has also focused on heterosexual partners. Following this, the current research uses National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) data to create dyads of both opposite-sex (i.e., male–female and female–male) and same-sex partners (i.e., male–male and female–female) to investigate the joint relationship between sex, sexual orientation, and three different criminal justice outcomes: victim refusal to cooperate with police, police decision to arrest, and the prosecutorial decision to deny a case.

scholarly journals A Review of Domestic Violence Perpetrator Programs in the United Kingdom

Partner Abuse ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Bates ◽  
Nicola Graham-Kevan ◽  
Lauren T. Bolam ◽  
Abigail J. V. Thornton
Keyword(s):  
Domestic Violence ◽  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Research Team ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Intervention Programs ◽  
Unexpected Finding ◽  
The United Kingdom

The aim of this study was to conduct a review of current intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrator provision within the United Kingdom. The objective of the review was to explore the characteristics of intervention programs currently within the United Kingdom. Using a questionnaire-based design, we explored characteristics of current programs including program structure, program logistics, facilitator characteristics, and facilitator insights around the programs. A number of organizations completed the questionnaire (N = 21), and a review of existing literature was performed to explore the general characteristics of programs being delivered within the United Kingdom. Within the sample, we found that the feminist approach was still influential, but that facilitators also reported a need to ensure programs are more inclusive in their service provision to represent the diversity of perpetrators found. An unexpected finding from this study was the resistance of many organizations to engage with the research through an apparent suspicion of the agenda and motivation of the research team.

Global Norms and Local Action

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peace A. Medie
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Local Action ◽  
Women’S Rights ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
Global Norms ◽  
The United Nations

When and why do states implement international women’s rights norms? Global Norms and Local Action is an examination of states’ responses to violence against women (VAW) in Africa and their implementation of the international women’s justice norm. Despite the presence of laws on various forms of VAW in most African countries, most victims face barriers to accessing justice through the criminal justice system. This problem is particularly acute in post-conflict countries. International organizations such as the United Nations and women’s rights advocates have, therefore, promoted the international women’s justice norm, which emphasizes the establishment of specialized mechanisms within the criminal justice sector to address VAW. With a focus on the response of the police to rape and intimate partner violence in post-conflict Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia, this book theorizes the United Nations’ and women’s movements’ influence on the implementation of the international women’s justice norm. It draws on over 300 interviews in both countries to demonstrate that high international and domestic pressures, combined with favorable political and institutional conditions, are key to the rapid establishment of specialized mechanisms within the police force and to how police officers respond to rape and intimate partner violence cases. It argues that despite significant weaknesses, specialized mechanisms have improved women’s access to justice. The book concludes with a discussion of why a holistic approach to addressing VAW is needed.

A Bruise Without a Name: Investigating College Student Perceptions of Intimate Partner Violence Terminology

2019 ◽  
pp. 088626051987672
Author(s):  
Karin Nordin
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Marital Status ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Bystander Intervention ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Situational Factors ◽  
Prevention Messages ◽  
Definition Of

When it comes to intimate partner violence, words matter. The abuse terminology used in efforts to target collegiate victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) can impact the effectiveness of prevention messages. The purpose of this study is twofold: first, to identify the relationship between abuse labels (such as domestic violence, dating violence, and IPV), and bystander intervention recommendations. Second, this study aims to understand how situational factors (perpetrator gender, couple marital status, provocation) impact the perceived appropriateness of those terms. Perceptions of severity, victim/perpetrator blame, and bystander intervention recommendations were also measured. In all, 498 college students from a large southern public university participated in a 2 × 2 × 2 experiment where they read a vignette depicting IPV. Participants were then asked a serious of questions about the appropriateness of the abuse terminology, what actions they would recommend for a bystander, the severity of the incident, and the degree to which they blamed victim and perpetrator. Results indicated the bystander intervention actions that are perceived as appropriate are related to what the most appropriate label is for the situation. Contextual factors surrounding the IPV situation, such as perpetrator gender, couple marital status, and provocation, influenced bystander recommendations and what labels were considered appropriate. The results of the study indicate the need to expand collegiate definition of what “counts” as IPV and point to ways in which IPV context can be a barrier to bystander intervention. Implications of the study argue that efforts to increase bystander intervention must include training on how to identify IPV situations with a broad variety of contexts. Limitations of the study and implications for theory and practice are discussed.

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