Crime Victims: An Introduction to Victimology Sixth Edition

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Crime Victims An Introduction to
VictimologySixth Edition

• By Andrew Karmen
• Chapter Nine
• Victims of Violence by Lovers and Family Members

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Rediscovery of Wife Beating

• Rediscovery during 1970sSilent Crisis
• Historical Perspective of Problem
• Patriarchymans right to discipline, home was
  his castle, hands-off policy
• RULE of THUMB
• Moderate Correction
• Unnatural severityChild abuse/fine or deathWife
  abuse/up to judge

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Rediscovery of Wife Beating

• Learned HelplessnessBattered Woman Syndrome
• Three Phase Cycle of Domestic Violence
• Tension Building
• The Battering
• Tranquil Loving Aftermath

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Incidence, Prevalence and Seriousness

• Which victim-offender relationships should be
  included or excluded?
• What is abuse?injuries and attackingdefinitions
  clearly shape findings
• Is minor violence criminal violence?
• Lack of public consensus normative ambiguity

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Maximalist Arguments Note

• Women much more likely to be harmed by intimate
  than a stranger
• Six million women physically abused each year
• 1.8 million serious assaults
• ½ of all incidents not reported to police
• Domestic violence is 1 cause of injuries for
  women aged 15-44

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Minimalist Arguments Note

• Only 1 in 50 women in 20s experience nonfatal
  violent offenses in a year
• NCVS shows trends for domestic violence
  decreasing
• 1.1 million offenses in 1993 and 600,000 in 2001

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Battered Women and CJ System

• Therapeutic Modelwomen not totally innocent.
  Shared responsibility. Long term approach is to
  strengthen bond.
• Legalistic Modelin favor since 1980s
• Separate PartiesOrder of Protection
• Rescue and protect injured
• Punish and rehabilitate aggressor
• Arresting may deter future acts

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Battered Women and CJ System

• Police ResponseMinneapolis Study
• 50 of arrested offenders did not re-assault
  victim
• 26 of those forced to leave re-offended upon
  return
• 18 of those sent to counseling re-offended in
  follow up period
• Law Enforcement determined best response was to
  arrest.
• Domestic Violence Arrest Without Warrant

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Battered Women and CJ System

• Prosecutorial Response
• Women often manipulated into dropping charges
• No drop approach need only corroborating
  evidence if victim does not testify
• If accuser fails to show up at trial, case is
  typically dropped or acquitted

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Battered Women and CJ System

• Judicial response
• In too many cases, clear spouse abuse cases can
  be lengthy trials
• Judges order canevict, bar contact, threats,
  harassment, stalking, and limit visitation
• Civil remedies aimed at separation of twonot to
  punish
• Law enforcement does not actively enforce civil
  orders

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Preventing Battering

• Current responses not dealing with root of the
  problem
• Decision making in family flows with income and
  property. Men have powerwomen subordinate to
  them.
• Men taught to be aggressiveWomen taught to be
  passive and resignation.
• Rule of PatriarchyMen Rule.
• Women must love, honor, and obey.

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Domestic Violence

• Same-Sex Partners
• Partner violence about same as heterosexuals
• Few resources to turn to for help
• Battered Husbands
• - Hesitant to reportdisbelief to mockery
• - No access to resources for help
• Mens ability to financially support themselves
• usually results in them leaving the relationship

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Victim Provocation and Murder

• When is slaying of a wife beater justified?
• Read Chapter examples, pages 227-228
• Victim Blaming vs. Victim Defending

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Victim Provocation and Murder

• Victim Defending Argumentssiding with the dead
  man, noting his provocations not significant
  enough to justify his deathnotes her
  overreactionleads to offender blaming that she
  must be punished accordingly
• Violence went too far, should have called police,
  left the home, divorce
• Women cannot be judge, jury, and executioner
• Man cannot defend himself in courthes dead

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Victim Provocation and Murder

• Victim Blaming Arguments
• Dead husband responsible for demisehis insults,
  challenges and assaults incited her
• Those who strike back were socially and
  economically isolate, more severely beaten,
  children abused
• Deadly force justified as it is a self-defense
  measure
• Weapon justified due to lack of strength
• Women often killed by his strength and force

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Victim Provocation and Murder

• Victim blaming most convincing to police when
• Threatened or beaten repeatedly
• Prior rescue by police
• Testified in court
• Sought marital counseling
• Attempted escape
• Filed for divorce
• Visible injuries at arrest
• Demonstrates crimes are socially defined. No act
  is inherently criminaleven homicide!

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Rediscovery of Other Victims of Beatings

• Young Women Battered During Courtship
• Abuse of Parents by Adolescents
• Elder Abuse
• Battering Within Same-Sex Relationships

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Preventing Battering

• Primary Prevention Programs
• Attempts to change attitudes of large numbers of
  peoplehigh school students
• Secondary Prevention Programs
• Intervention into lives of high risk couples
• Teaching of negotiation and anger management
  techniques

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Key Terms
Intimate Partners Domestic Tranquility patriarchy
Unnatural severity Moderate correction Domestic chastisement
Rule of Thumb Battered woman syndrome speakouts
Normative ambiguity Clinical fallacy Shelters
Order of Protection Restraining Order Pro arrest directives
No drop prosecution policy Elder abuse Secondary prevention programs
Primary prevention programs