Gender and Domestic Violence

Contemporary Legal Practice and Intervention Reforms

Brenda Russell editor John Hamel editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Oxford University Press Inc

Published:4th Oct '22

Should be back in stock very soon

Gender and Domestic Violence cover

Over the past 40 years, considerable progress has been made in lowering rates of domestic violence in our communities. This progress has been uneven, however, due to continuing misconceptions about the causes and dynamics of domestic violence, which include an exaggerated focus on males as perpetrators and females as victims, as well as a heavy-handed law enforcement response that compromises the rights of criminal defendants without necessarily reducing violence. Gender and Domestic Violence presents empirical research findings and reform recommendations for prosecutors, criminal defense attorneys, policy makers and intervention providers with the aim of rectifying shortcomings in legal and law enforcement responses to domestic violence. The volume's editors and chapter authors confront the notion that certain beliefs shared among victim advocates, legal actors, and other stakeholders -- principally that domestic violence is bound by gender, and is primarily a crime against women -- have led to the use of ineffective and potentially harmful one-size-fits-all intervention policies that can jeopardize defendant due process and victim safety. Domestic violence experts, legal scholars, and practicing attorneys present how gendered aspects of domestic violence affect legal decision-making and practice and provide strategies for becoming more inclusive in the adjudicative process, intervention/prevention, and practice. Gender and Domestic Violence: Contemporary Legal Practice and Intervention Reforms provides the foundation from which we can begin to move beyond the gender paradigm by recognizing disparities and applying tools that improve research, policing, and practice, allowing us to progress toward eradicating domestic violence, and to move closer to equality.

I applaud and admire John Hamel and Brenda Russell for putting together this book. The book is well-researched with chapters written by highly regarded experts in the field. Although destined to be controversial, it's long overdue, and provides solid research and recommendations for both criminal justice and family courts for how to best handle domestic violence cases. It takes on the political controversy and provides evidence-based information on how gender is not the determining predictor for who commits domestic violence. It is a must read for all who work in the field of domestic violence and who encounter domestic violence in the criminal courts, family courts, and service professions. * Denise A. Hines, Ph.D., Associate Professor, College of Health and Human Services, George Mason University *
Finally! Perhaps the most comprehensive approach to understanding IPV in terms of policy and practice, this book gathers the work of committed scholars who ignored convention in the face of great opposition and steadfastly pushed for a greater understanding of women's use of violence. Hamel and Russell's book shines light in the dark corners where change and progress are desperately needed and represents more than a decade of effort to transform our thinking - and thus our policies, practices, and treatment approaches - resulting in a paradigmatic shift in the conversations around gender and IPV. * Michelle Mohr Carney, PhD, MSSA, Dean & Professor, School of Social Welfare, University of Kansas *
As a former domestic violence prosecutor, I struggled with the one-size-fits-all approach to IPV. As a current defense attorney, I see the havoc this homogenous mindset causes for the wrongfully accused. With a scientific and fact-driven approach, this volume recognizes and reports the nuances of IPV, and asks questions of our current criminal legal system based on research, not stereotypes or politics. Prosecutors, defense attorneys and judges must wrestle with the evidence presented in this volume or risk being well-intentioned agents of injustice. * Peter Chambers, Esq., Law Office of Peter James Chambers *

ISBN: 9780197564028

Dimensions: 161mm x 237mm x 32mm

Weight: 789g

448 pages