Perpetrators of intimate partner violence

Assessments in Forensic Practice: A Handbook provides practical guidance in the assessment of the most frequently encountered offender subgroups found within the criminal justice system. Topics include: criminal justice assessments offenders with mental disorders family violence policy and practic

Spouse Abuse

The term spouse abuse is commonly used to refer to Aggressive, violent and/or controlling behaviours that take place between two people involved in an intimate Relationship. Spouse abuse is a high frequency crime resulting in victims from all social classes, ethnicities, genders and educational backgrounds. Preventative methods at societal and community levels are required in addition to more traditional intervention approaches in order to adequately address this problem. This entry will provide an evidence based description of spouse abuse, considering its definition, terminology, prevalence, victims and Perpetrators and issues related to the treatment and prevention of this problem

Understanding intimate partner violence in the context of the family

Paper given at The 31st Congress of the International Academy of Law and Mental Healt

Differentiating patterns of violence in the family and the effects on children

Paper given at XVIth ISPCAN International Congress on Child Abuse and Neglec

Understanding the nature and etiology of intimate partner violence and

Theoretical perspectives underlying hypotheses about the nature and etiology of intimate partner violence are important as they inform professionals how they should best respond to reduce or eliminate this social problem. Therefore, it is crucial that practice led initiatives are driven by theory that is supported by good quality empirical evidence. This review aims to provide a synthesis of methodologically sound research to understand how intimate partner violence is best conceptualized, and what the implications of this evidence based theory hold for practice and policy. A wealth of evidence supporting the need to further explore and respond to the spectrum of partner violence from a gender inclusive perspective is demonstrated. Implications of the evidence for multidisciplinary work, prevention, assessment, treatment, and policy related to intimate partner violence are discussed

The heterogeneity of family violence and its implications for practice

Reviews on the causes of aggression in the family have emphasised the extensive overlap between all forms of partner violence and child maltreatment. However, research into family violence has often investigated child and partner maltreatment as separate entities, frequently\ud examining the violent man in order to understand the correlates and potential causes of his violent behaviour within the family. This review highlights the importance of examining intimate partner violence within the context of the family. First the violent man is considered in\ud isolation, exploring the heterogeneity of men who abuse and murder their female partner and the implications this has for future practice and research. Second, taking into account the overlap of partner and child maltreatment and the reciprocal nature of intimate partner violence, the utility of examining family violence from a more family focused perspective is considered. It is concluded that an integrated perspective will increase interagency collaboration and integrative treatment for the family

Investigating the true rate of physical intimate partner violence: A review of nationally representative surveys

This review systematically investigates rates of physical intimate partner violence for both sexes in international samples. Surveys that accessed nationally representative samples, used gender inclusive methodology and neutral contexts are reviewed to determine 12 month and lifetime victimization and perpetration rates. Discrepancies between international rates, and the impact that gender equality may have upon these differences is also investigated. Electronic databases were systematically searched to identify surveys that met inclusion criteria. Eleven surveys were reviewed. Of these, Family Violence surveys had the highest methodological quality and showed equal rates for both sexes. Surveys of lesser quality typically showed higher female victimization and male perpetration rates. Countries at the extremes of gender empowerment measure scores differed in their patterns of rates. Gender equality in the US was associated with symmetry for the sexes, and inequality in Uganda associated with higher female victimization. However, as countries tended to use different methods to investigate the problem it was not possible to compare the effects of gender equality on differences in international rates of IPV. It is concluded that survey methodology needs to be consistent across nations, and specifically target family violence if true rates are to be determined and compared across the globe

The heterogeneity of spouse abuse: A review

Recent research suggests that spouse abusers are not a homogenous group. Holtzworth-Munroe and Stuart (1994) propose three types of domestic violent men; Family Only, Generally Violent/Antisocial and Dysphoric/ Borderline Personality. This theoretical classification is compared to nine empirical research studies and two hypothetical studies, which can be found in the literature dated from 1994 onwards. The review provides support for the three-fold typology. The total averages of offenders classified by Holtzworth-Munroe and Stuarts (1994) typology across the studies were 50%, 30% and 20% respectively. However, when sample type was considered a significant difference between court referrals and volunteers was found for the men’s distribution across the three types, with court referred men being less likely to be categorised into the Family Only group. All research to date is criticised for its narrow focus on the offender and its lack of a scientific profiling approach. Other factors such as the context, triggers for violence and the behavioural actions of the victim need to be considered. A more holistic family focused typology is suggested to be more appropriate for those victims who do not want to separate from their violent spous

Intimate partner violence and stalking\ud

“Stalker guilty of stabbing ex-girlfriend to death in "brutal' attack”, reads the London Evening Standard news headline (Bailey, 2010). This article goes onto describe how Gemma Doorman, 24, was stabbed to death in July 2008, as she left a restaurant in South-West London, by her ex-partner Vikramgit Singh. The ‘frenzied attack’ occurred after months of stalking and harassment, which Miss Doorman had previously reported to the police. This is just one example of many worldwide media headlines that depict stories of relationships that have culminated in the murder of one partner. While, not all cases of partner homicide are characterised by stalking and harassment, most victims of stalking know their perpetrator, and in a large proportion of stalking cases the target is an ex-intimate partner (Spitzberg, 2002). Such murder cases provoke questions about why the fatality occurred and whether this arguably foreseeable event could have been prevented. These are questions that many academics and practitioners in the field have endeavoured to answer

Until death do they part: preventing intimate partner homicide\ud

Just under one quarter of all homicide victims in England and Wales were killed by an intimate partner in the year 2008/9, according to Home Office statistics. In the aftermath of such fatalities, where the offender was clearly well known to the victim, questions are often raised about whether the attack could have been foreseen and whether services had failed the victim in not preventing the sometimes seemingly inevitable event. This article considers how psychological theory and research can lend itself to the prevention of serious and fatal intimate partner violence and looks at the current state of practice in this domain