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Domestic Violence Prevention - USA

Page history last edited by Robert Hackett 3 years, 4 months ago

Front Page / Issue Briefs / Children, Youth and Families & Justice, Crime and Public Safety / Domestic Violence Prevention / USA

 

Issue Brief

 

Domestic Violence Prevention - USA

 

 

Scope of the Problem  factual statements on the extent of the problem in the past, current, or future

  • "The term 'intimate relationships' is used here to be maximally inclusive of any romantic and/or sexual relationship between two non-biologically-related people, including dating or courtship relationships, relationships in which the romantic partners live together in the same household (cohabiting), relationships in which two people have children in common but are no longer formally romantically or sexually involved with one another, and marital relationships".[1] Domestic Violence is a serious problem in the United States, and one of the main reasons is because anyone can fall victim to it  See Statistics. [2] The statistics are very high in domestic violence against, not only women, but in all different groups of people in today's society. These groups include; individuals with disabilities, racial and ethnic communities, immigrant women, rural women, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals, individuals in later life, youth and children.[3]  Although it is often unrecognized, there is an increasing number of men falling subject to domestic violence. "In most cases, the actual physical damage inflicted by men is so much greater than the actual physical harm inflected by women that the impact of domestic violence is less apparent and less likely to come to the attention of others".[4] Everyday the number of those affected by domestic violence is increasing. It is crucial to teach members of our society to be able to recognize domestic violence, know how to handle such situation, and to feel comfortable reaching out to others about their situation. Another important factor in decreasing and stopping domestic violence is prevention. There are many programs in place to try and prevent Domestic Violence but is that enough?

  • Programs mostly focus on teens to teach them how to have a healthy relationship. But several articles such as  Domestic Violence - What Drives People To Commit Them. [5]Talks about how the underlying problems of why people commit Domestic Violence, goes clear back to their childhood. “The first factor that correlates with a higher probability of people ending up being domestic violence perpetrators is poor upbringing (in the childhood). It is, for instance, a well-established fact that people who were subjected to violence as they were being brought up (in the name of 'discipline') are in turn likely to be violent adults. If they grew up without having control over their impulses, they are most likely going to commit these acts of violence too.” (Gail) This article tells how child abuse and violence in the family are big contributors as to why they act violently and how this is adds even more problems on how to preventing Domestic Violence. This problem is not only important because of the amount of Domestic Abuse that happens in America but also because of how far back the route of the problems can go. Another big contributor to why this is a problems is because Domestic Violence does not have a simple solution on how to prevent and stop it from happening. There are many unique factors and contributors on why Domestic Violence occurs. This is why it is a big issue that needs a lot of work and dedication to be stopped.

          Reference: Gail, A. (n.d.). Domestic violence- what drives people to commit them. Ezine articles.

 

Past Policy  key legislation and milestones including significant policy and funding shifts, major studies, etc.

 

  • The Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA) – This is designed to improve on victim services and arresting and prosecuting any offenders of domestic violence. VAWA also created hotline for domestic abuse. They have gathered a good amount of money for all their different initiatives and programs, some of these are shelters, other services for women of domestic violence, they educate and give training programs.  VAWA also reauthorized some grans that were going to be stopped that support a design to improve how law enforcement and prosecution respond to domestic violence. They also authorized that advocates of domestic violence be involved with planning and programs and putting them in place. VAWA also got funds back for the victim and witness councilors that work with domestic violence victims inside federal prosecutions. [6]

 

Current Policy  summary of current policies in the form of legislation, programs, and funding

  • "The national policy of violence prevention is to criminalize abuse of chilren, of domestic partners and of the elderly by mandating members of the medical and social service professions to report suspected cases of abuse and by prosecuting the perpetrators of acts identified as abusive".[7]

  • Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) 2013 reauthorization -Gives women and men who are victims of domestic violence sexual assault, dating violence and stalking access to resources to help heal from their trauma. Addresses violence among teens and young adults and gives them better access to prevention and intervention programs, requires colleges and universities to provide information to students about dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking and improve data collection about these crimes. Removes barriers faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) victims, maintains protections for battered immigrants, and helps to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the tribal justice system and bring perpetrators of violence to justice.[8]  

    • developed and renewed by the Federal government to reduce the acts of violence against women in the United States. This act was originally paseed in 1994 and has been renewed twice more in 2005 and 2006. The act was designed to allocate funding to organizations whose primary function it to protect women from violence and to also assist in the creation of laws that prevent the continuation of violence and protect those affected by it. Underneath is the link to the entire fact sheet explaining all of the goals of the VAWA. http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/vawa_factsheet.pdf 

    • STOP Violence Against Women Grant provides Federal funding for trainings of law enforcement, development and implementation of new policies. It comes in waves and needs to be applied for. Applications will be posted and must be registered for in mid-February and are officially due to the federal government by mid-March. The base award amount is $600,000 and can be used for one fiscal year. This funding can be applied to prevention and counseling programs and is designed to develop the criminal justice system and its response to violence against women. To register and apply, go to Grants.gov which can be located through the Department of Justice’s website.  

  • Immigration and Nationality Act - allows certain spouses, children, and parents of U.S. citizens and permanent residents to file a petition for themselves, without the abuser's knowledge, which allows victims to seek both safety and independence from their abuser, who is not notified about the filing.[9] 

  • Family Violence Prevention Services Act - Provides formula grants to states to provide shelter and supportive services through subgrants to local domestic violence programs, national and specialized training and technical assistance resource centers, the National Domestic Violence Hotline, Grants to State Domestic Violence Coalitions, and a tribal formula grant program.[10]

    • Domestic Violence Coalitions-act as the information clearinghouses and coordinate state and territory-wide domestic violence programs, outreach and technical assistance.[11] 

  • Victims of Crime Act - gives grants to support the provision fo direct services to victims of crime throughout the nation, to assist victims of crime as soon as possible in order to reduce the severity of the psychological and emotional consequences of the victimization, and to demonstrate on-going support for the victim in coping with the impact of the victimization.[12]   

 

Key Organizations/Individuals   contacts for public and private organizations and key individuals

  • Government
    • Executive
      •  
    •  Legislative
      •  
  • Non-Profit
    • Service Providing
      • National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence - The NCDSV designs, provides and customizes training and consultation; influences policy, promotes collaboration; and enhances diversity with the goal of ending domestic and sexual violence.   
    • Advocacy/Membership/Network
      •  
  • Foundation
    • Nicole Brown Foundation - Advocates for Domestic Violence victims, and bring awareness and education to their communities about Domestic Violence.
  • Other
    •  

 

 

Bibliography   web sites, reports, articles, and other reference material 

Footnotes

  1. Mouradian, V. E. (2000) ▲
  2. Schreiber, M. (2013). Statistics . Retrieved November 2013, from Kansas Collation agianst sexual and domestic violence.http://www.kcsdv.org/stats.html ▲
  3. Hanson, B. (2010) ▲
  4. Corry, C. E. (2013, April 23) ▲
  5. Gail, A. J. (2012, July 12). Domestic Violence - What Drives People To Commit Them. Retrieved December 2013, from Ezine Articles: http://ezinearticles.com/?Domestic-Violence---What-Drives-People-To-Commit-Them&id=7355354 ▲
  6. Victmis of Crime Act Grant. (n.d.). Retrieved Decemember 2013, from Missouri Department of Public Saftey: http://dps.mo.gov/dir/programs/cvsu/voca.asp ▲
  7. Chan, K. L. (2011) ▲
  8. Jarrett, V. (2013, March 07) ▲
  9. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (2013, January 16) ▲
  10. Gandy, K. A. (2013) ▲
  11. Gandy, K. A. (2013) ▲
  12. Lee, G. (n.d.) ▲

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