Domestic Violence: Federal and State Legislation
Domestic Violence: Federal and State Legislation
CJ333 Family and Domestic Violence
Domestic Violence is a big problem in the United States. Domestic Violence is a problem that affects every community across the country. It affects all races, social and economic backgrounds, cultures, religions, and relationship types. When an abuser chooses to inflict abuse on his or her partner, it is a choice to do so. In fact, Domestic Violence is a deliberate pattern of abusive tactics used by one partner in an intimate relationship to obtain and maintain power and control over the other person. Since the 1960s, the trend toward proactive policing for crimes of intimate partner violence has followed other examples. Moving from nonintervention to mediation to arrest, the criminalization of domestic violence has been achieved, and it is up to the policy makers to ensure the passage of legislation that will allow legitimate police action. (Gosselin, 2010). In this paper, this author intends to introduce to the reader to two particular pieces of legislation that were created in response to the epidemic of Domestic Violence abuse in the United States. The first piece of legislation that I intend to discuss was enacted at the Federal level and it is known as the “Violence Against Woman Act” of 1994. (VAWA). The Violence Against Woman Act was a major milestone for this country in recognizing that Domestic Violence abuse of woman was not only a problem but also a crisis. The second piece of legislation to be discussed was enacted by the State of Maine intended to shield animals from harm, abuse, or death in Domestic Violence cases. Maine was the first state in the U.S. to enact such a law. It was Senate Bill 353. Often time’s abusers will use victim’s pets as a way to torture them psychologically and exert even greater control over them by way of fear and intimidation. Domestic violence continued to be under the exclusive
CJ333 Family and Domestic Violence
Domestic Violence is a big problem in the United States. Domestic Violence is a problem that affects every community across the country. It affects all races, social and economic backgrounds, cultures, religions, and relationship types. When an abuser chooses to inflict abuse on his or her partner, it is a choice to do so. In fact, Domestic Violence is a deliberate pattern of abusive tactics used by one partner in an intimate relationship to obtain and maintain power and control over the other person. Since the 1960s, the trend toward proactive policing for crimes of intimate partner violence has followed other examples. Moving from nonintervention to mediation to arrest, the criminalization of domestic violence has been achieved, and it is up to the policy makers to ensure the passage of legislation that will allow legitimate police action. (Gosselin, 2010). In this paper, this author intends to introduce to the reader to two particular pieces of legislation that were created in response to the epidemic of Domestic Violence abuse in the United States. The first piece of legislation that I intend to discuss was enacted at the Federal level and it is known as the “Violence Against Woman Act” of 1994. (VAWA). The Violence Against Woman Act was a major milestone for this country in recognizing that Domestic Violence abuse of woman was not only a problem but also a crisis. The second piece of legislation to be discussed was enacted by the State of Maine intended to shield animals from harm, abuse, or death in Domestic Violence cases. Maine was the first state in the U.S. to enact such a law. It was Senate Bill 353. Often time’s abusers will use victim’s pets as a way to torture them psychologically and exert even greater control over them by way of fear and intimidation. Domestic violence continued to be under the exclusive
References: Gosselin, D. K. (2010). Heavy hands: An intro to the crimes of family violence (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall. American Bar Association. (2013). Violence Against Woman Act. Retrieved on May 9, 2013, from: http://www.americanbar.org/advocacy/governmental_legislative_work/priorities_policy/access_to_legal_services/vawa_home.html Bruce, Mary. (2013). ABC NEWS. “Obama Signs Violence Against Woman Reauthorization Act.” ABCNews.com, March 07, 2013. Retrieved on May 9, 2013, from: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/03/obama-signs-violence-against-women-reauthorization-act/ American Humane Association. (2013). Facts about Animal Abuse and Domestic Violence. Retrieved on May 16, 2013, from: http://www.americanhumane.org/interaction/support-the-bond/fact-sheets/animal-abuse-domestic-violence.html Belluck, Pam. (2006). New Maine Law Shields Animals in Domestic Violence Cases. New York Times. Retrieved on May 16, 2013, from: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/01/us/01pets.html?_r=0