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by Brenda Russell (Editor), John Hamel (Editor)
Over the past 40 years, considerable progress has been made in lowering rates of domestic violence in our communities. This progress has been uneven, however, due to continuing misconceptions about the causes and dynamics of domestic violence, which include an exaggerated focus on males as perpetrators and females as victims, as well as a heavy-handed law enforcement response that compromises the rights of criminal defendants without necessarily reducing violence.
Gender and Domestic Violence presents empirical research findings and reform recommendations for prosecutors, criminal defense attorneys, policy makers and intervention providers with the aim of rectifying shortcomings in legal and law enforcement responses to domestic violence. The volume's editors and chapter authors confront the notion that certain beliefs shared among victim advocates, legal actors, and other stakeholders -- principally that domestic violence is bound by gender, and is primarily a crime against women -- have led to the use of ineffective and potentially harmful one-size-fits-all intervention policies that can jeopardize defendant due process and victim safety. Domestic violence experts, legal scholars, and practicing attorneys present how gendered aspects of domestic violence affect legal decision-making and practice and provide strategies for becoming more inclusive in the adjudicative process, intervention/prevention, and practice. Gender and Domestic Violence: Contemporary Legal Practice and Intervention Reforms provides the foundation from which we can begin to move beyond the gender paradigm by recognizing disparities and applying tools that improve research, policing, and practice, allowing us to progress toward eradicating domestic violence, and to move closer to equality.Author Biography
Dr. Brenda Russell, PhD is a Professor of Psychology at The Pennsylvania State University, Berks. Her interests include psychology and law, perceptions of victims and perpetrators of domestic violence, homicide defendants, and the social-psychological aspects of jury decision-making. She has published dozens of scholarly research articles and authored four books. Dr. Russell serves as an expert in criminal domestic violence homicide cases and works as a consultant and program evaluator for federal and state educational, law enforcement, justice, and treatment programs.
John Hamel, PhD, LCSW a graduate of U.C.L.A. and the University of Central Lancashire, has treated family violence victims and perpetrators since 1992, and has provided expert witness consultation and testimony in numerous criminal and family law cases. Dr. Hamel also a researcher, and the author or editor of several books, including Gender-Inclusive Treatment of Intimate Partner Abuse: Evidence-Based Approaches, 2nd Edition. He is also Editor-in-Chief of the journal, Partner Abuse, and is the founder of the Association of Domestic Violence Intervention Programs (ADVIP).
