Police, Crime and Society. Domestic Violence

Essay by gumbootUniversity, Bachelor'sB+, October 2009

download word file, 10 pages 0.0

This essay will describe some of the major factors that contribute toward domestic violence occurring. It explains the different types of domestic abuse that can occur, effects that occur from domestic violence on the victim and children within the relationship. It also describes the troubles that police have with such an offence, the cycle that victims get themselves trapped into and the problem that hinder police while trying to help the victims out of the cycle of violence.

Helpguide.org (n.d.) states that 'domestic violence can occur between spouses or intimate partners when one person in a marital or intimate relationship tries to control the other person. The perpetrator uses fear and intimidation and may threaten to use or may actually use physical violence.'Domestic violence is not limited to marital or intimate relationships. Section 4(1) of the NSW Crimes Act 1900 defines a domestic relationship to be any of the following; married or have been married, has or has had a de facto relationship, has or has had an intimate personal relationship whether or not it had a sexual nature, have lived or are living in the same household, has or has had a relationship involving dependents or anyone who is or has been a relative.

The majority of this essay will focus on the more common marital/de facto type relationships.

When people hear domestic violence they immediately think of a husband raising his hand and hitting his wife. In reality the victim of domestic violence may be a man or a woman. It can occur in traditional heterosexual marriages, as well as in same-sex partnerships. It occurs in all geographical areas and in all socioeconomic and cultural groups (Carrington & Phillips 2003)There are many forms of domestic violence. This violence can be in the form of physical, that is...