Domestic Violence: Law, Policy, and Practice

This new book takes a unique interdisciplinary approach to the introductory study of domestic violence, a subject that requires students to explore beyond case analysis to recognize the implications of this complex and serious problem on the justice system. Although recognizing the valuable role women's advocates have played in bringing the crisis of domestic violence to the attention of the public and the legal community, this book is not written solely from an advocacy perspective. Instead it traces the development of the law through court cases scholarly articles, government studies, and the popular press. It is designed for students who may one day wish to be domestic violence advocates, prosecutors, defense attorneys, public policy experts, or even judges.

While still placing the responsibility for domestic violence directly in the hands of the abusers, the book does more than analyze the crime and punishment of offenders. It includes chapters on the criminal and family law approaches to solving domestic violence and the impact of family violence on children. The book includes chapters on sentencing and the impact and success of specialized domestic violence courts that have been instituted nationwide over the last decade. Other chapters include: domestic violence and federal gun and immigration law; domestic violence in the lesbian, gay and transgendered community; and domestic violence in other cultures.

Domestic Violence: Law, Policy and Practice contains charts, photographs, drawings, and illustrations to assist learning. In addition, a series of notes and questions at the end of each chapter are designed to facilitate classroom discussion and promote understanding of the context in which the materials are presented.