Domestic Violence
Domestic Violence in the Eye of the Law
Every 9 seconds in the US a woman is assaulted or beaten. Many people often wonder what it takes for the offender to be arrested and sometimes accuse officers of not doing their job correctly. Police officers tend to have very strict protocol, not only for the victim’s safety but their safety as well, that they are to follow when responding to domestic violence calls. The laws regarding these domestic calls are especially crucial to the victims because they give them options dealing with life or death situations.
Domestic violence is not something that has recently started. Cases of what is known today as domestic violence have been dated back to medieval times. During this time a wife’s only duties were to cater to her husband needs, carry their child, and take care of the household chores. Husbands had total control over their wife and kids. Physical actions including the murder of their wife were allowed as long as it could be proved that it was done for disciplinary purposes. Women were killed by their husbands for reasons such as talking back, miscarrying a child, or complaining. Eventually the law provided husbands the right to punish their wives under moderation. “Early settlers in America based their laws on an Old-English common-law that explicitly permits wife-beating for correctional purposes. The states tried to break away from that law by saying that the husband is only allowed to whip his wife with a switch no bigger than his thumb (The Cumbee 1).” “Maryland actually was the first state to pass a law that makes wife-beating a crime, which is punishable by 40 lashes or a year in jail (The Cumbee 1).” The year 1882 was the first time law enforcement stepped in to handle domestic violence cases.
Mandatory laws have been made for police officers to follow in domestic violence call situations. “Domestic violence is different from any other assault. It doesn’t happen just once. The perpetrator continues to have
Every 9 seconds in the US a woman is assaulted or beaten. Many people often wonder what it takes for the offender to be arrested and sometimes accuse officers of not doing their job correctly. Police officers tend to have very strict protocol, not only for the victim’s safety but their safety as well, that they are to follow when responding to domestic violence calls. The laws regarding these domestic calls are especially crucial to the victims because they give them options dealing with life or death situations.
Domestic violence is not something that has recently started. Cases of what is known today as domestic violence have been dated back to medieval times. During this time a wife’s only duties were to cater to her husband needs, carry their child, and take care of the household chores. Husbands had total control over their wife and kids. Physical actions including the murder of their wife were allowed as long as it could be proved that it was done for disciplinary purposes. Women were killed by their husbands for reasons such as talking back, miscarrying a child, or complaining. Eventually the law provided husbands the right to punish their wives under moderation. “Early settlers in America based their laws on an Old-English common-law that explicitly permits wife-beating for correctional purposes. The states tried to break away from that law by saying that the husband is only allowed to whip his wife with a switch no bigger than his thumb (The Cumbee 1).” “Maryland actually was the first state to pass a law that makes wife-beating a crime, which is punishable by 40 lashes or a year in jail (The Cumbee 1).” The year 1882 was the first time law enforcement stepped in to handle domestic violence cases.
Mandatory laws have been made for police officers to follow in domestic violence call situations. “Domestic violence is different from any other assault. It doesn’t happen just once. The perpetrator continues to have