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The Evolution of the Response to Domestic Violence in the United States

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Global Responses to Domestic Violence

Abstract

This chapter will provide an overview of the scope and nature of the domestic violence problem in the United States, the evolution in its response, and what is known about the efficacy and impact of interventions to date on both victims and offenders.

While efforts to respond to domestic violence in the United States began over a century ago, the last 40 years have seen a profound change, almost a reversal, in the response both to domestic violence victims and offenders. Domestic violence is now seen as a topic of national importance with considerable resources directed toward its eradication. The United States has placed a heavy emphasis on legislation and the use of the criminal justice system in developing strategies for intervention with offenders. While historically, domestic violence victims were supported by community-based services and domestic violence organizations, recent years has seen a focus on the integration of health services, child protection agencies, and community-based services into a government-directed system with criminal justice agencies taking the lead, at times with a problematic result.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Felson and Outlaw (2007) noted that women were more likely than men to exhibit controlling behavior even though the National Violence Against Women Survey even though more women were actually injured.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Lowell, MA, USA

    Eve S. Buzawa

  2. Textron Systems Corporation, Bonita Springs, FL, USA

    Carl G. Buzawa (Retired Attorney)

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  1. Eve S. Buzawa
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Correspondence to Eve S. Buzawa .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Massachusetts – Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts, USA

    Eve S. Buzawa

  2. Textron Systems Corporation, Bonita Springs, Florida, USA

    Carl G. Buzawa

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Buzawa, E.S., Buzawa, C.G. (2017). The Evolution of the Response to Domestic Violence in the United States. In: Buzawa, E., Buzawa, C. (eds) Global Responses to Domestic Violence. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56721-1_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56721-1_4

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