Gender-Based Mass Shootings: An Examination of Attacks Motivated by Grievances Against Women

This study provides a quantitative examination of gender-based mass shootings in America from 1966–2018. Gender-based mass shootings refer to attacks motivated by grievances against women, divided into four categories based on a specific woman or women in general, as well as whether they directly target the source of their grievances. Findings indicate that specific woman–targeted shooters were the most common and significantly different from their counterparts in their domestic violence history, racial diversity, and engagement in spree attacks. When comparing all gender-based attacks against other mass shootings, significant differences include relationship status, children, domestic violence history, substance abuse history, and suicide. This investigation provides implications for gender and mass shooting scholars, as well as practitioners developing strategies for intervention and prevention.

Is TANF Truly Accessible and Helpful? Victims’ Experiences With Domestic Violence Screening Under the Family Violence Option

This study explores the experiences of domestic violence victims with their Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) applications and the subsequent assessment processes in the state of Georgia, focusing on the conditions related to their disclosure of abuse and their postdisclosure experiences. This study interviewed five victims of domestic violence, four local victim advocates, and three nationally recognized experts regarding domestic violence screening in TANF programs using semistructured interviews. Data were analyzed using grounded theory techniques. The findings showed that the participants perceived TANF application and assessment processes as (i) inaccessible and (ii) unhelpful, lacking special considerations for domestic violence victims. Conditions related to victims’ disclosure of abuse included (i) safety concerns, (ii) working relationships between local victim support agencies and TANF offices, (iii) a safe environment to disclose abuse, and (iv) advocacy. After disclosing their domestic violence history to their TANF caseworkers, the victims reported experiencing (i) a lack of continued assessment and support related to domestic violence and (ii) a compulsion to make final decisions regarding continuing or discontinuing their TANF applications. The current study contributes to the field of social work by providing a better understanding of how and to what extent victims of domestic violence are actually supported within the TANF system and by yielding practice and policy implications for effectively assisting the victims of domestic violence within the TANF system.

Are Honor Killings Unique? A Comparison of Honor Killings, Domestic Violence Homicides, and Hate Homicides by Far-Right Extremists

This study compared honor killings, domestic violence homicides, and hate homicides committed by far-right extremists. Prior research has suggested that terrorists may differ from “regular” offenders whereas others suggest similarities. Data from the Extremist Crime Database were used to compare honor killings committed in the United States since 1990 to domestic violence and hate homicides ( N = 48). Open-source documents were closed coded for criminal justice involvement, domestic violence history, motivation, and offenders’ mental illness. Honor killings were more likely to have a history of domestic violence in open sources than hate homicides, suggesting these three homicides may be more similar than different.

A Violência contra a Mulher, o Trauma e seus Enunciados: o limite da justiça criminal

O Código Penal pode ser considerado a ferramenta que fornece as melhores respostas ao combate à violência contra a mulher ou é necessário encontrar outros canais mais eficazes de garantias no plano jurídico? Ainda que em termos globais seja notória a desigualdade relativa ao gênero, questiona-se, neste artigo, o quanto a opção criminalizadora não acabaria provocando o acirramento da mencionada desigualdade. Considerando-se que a hegemonia da ideologia patriarcal não seria o único argumento a fundamentar a análise das situações de violência doméstica, recorreu-se ao saber psicanalítico para entender as motivações que mantêm uma relação enredada em uma trama de agressividade mútua. A partir dessa perspectiva, procurou-se considerar os múltiplos aspectos envolvidos na construção de um vínculo capazes de potencializar a violência. Verificou-se o quanto experiências traumáticas na primeira infância podem provocar um efeito dessubjetivante e perpetuar uma história de violência doméstica através de gerações. Observou-se que arranjos inconscientes participam da formação de vínculos marcados por um tipo de dependência adesiva a partir do qual a autonomia é inconcebível. Neste modelo relacional a capacidade de pensar é anulada. Conclui-se pela necessidade de promover formas de intervenção nas quais a circulação formalizada da palavra auxilie no desenvolvimento da capacidade reflexiva dos sujeitos.Palavras-Chave: Violência contra a mulher. Lei Maria da Penha. Vínculo. Propostas de intervenção.***Abstract:Can the Criminal Code be considered the tool which provides the best answers to the fight on the violence against women or is it necessary to find other more efficient channels of assurance in the legal sphere? Although it is, overall, notorious the gender inequality, it is questioned in this paper how much the criminalizing option would not end up worsening the aforementioned inequality. Considering that the patriarchal ideology hegemony would not be the only argumentation to base the analysis of the domestic violence situations, it was used the psychoanalytical knowledge in order to understand the motivations which keep an entangled relation in a mutual aggressiveness plot. From this perspective, it was considered the multiple aspects involved in the building of ties able to empower the violence. It was observed how much the traumatic experiences of the early childhood can trigger a dis-subjectification effect and perpetuate a domestic violence history throughout generations. It was also verified that the unconscious arrangements take place in the building of bonds characterized by a type of adhesion-dependent from where the autonomy is unconceivable. In such relational model the thinking capacity is abolished. It is concluded the need to promote methods of intervention in which the movement formalized of the word aids in the development of the reflexive capacity of the subjects.Key-Words: Violence against women. Law Maria da Penha. Bonds. Proposals for Intervention.***Resumen:El Código Penal puede ser considerado la herramienta que proporciona las mejores respuestas al combate a la violencia contra la mujer o es necesario encontrar otros canales más eficaces de garantía en el plano jurídico? Aunque en términos globales sea notoria la desigualdad relativa al género, se cuestiona, en este artículo, sí la opción por la criminalización no acabaría provocando el afianzamiento de la mencionada desigualdad. Se considera que la hegemonía de la ideología patriarcal no sería el único argumento a fundamentar el análisis de las situaciones de violencia doméstica, se recurre al saber psicoanalítico para entender las motivaciones que mantienen una relación compleja en una trama de agresividad mutua. A partir de esa perspectiva, se procuró considerar los múltiples aspectos involucrados en la construcción de un vínculo capaces de potencializar la violencia. Se verificó en qué forma las experiencias traumáticas en la primera infancia pueden provocar un efecto des-subjetivizante y perpetuar una historia de violencia doméstica a través de generaciones. Se observó qué acomodos inconscientes participan de la formación de vínculos marcados por un tipo de dependencia adhesiva a partir de la cual la autonomía es inconcebible. En este modelo relacional la capacidad de pensar es anulada. Se concluye que es necesario promover formas de intervención en las cuales la circulación formalizada de la palabra auxilie en el desarrollo de la capacidad reflexiva de los sujetos.Palabras clave: Violencia contra la mujer. Ley María da Penha. Vínculo. Propuesta de intervención