There are apparently no differences between white women and minority women regarding the prevalence and characteristics of wife abuse, but there are differences in the criminal justice system's responses to the violence against these two different victim categories. There is limited attention and research devoted to the unique contexts of violence against women in diverse cultural settings. Findings from a study of violence against Inuit women in the Canadian eastern arctic support many of the arguments presented in the literature regarding the ineffective responses of the criminal justice system and the revictimization of abused women; however, there were also findings that challenge some assumptions. In the Baffin Region, there were overall positive opinions of the police (R.C.M.P.), and the majority of abusers who came to police attention and were charged were also convicted. The inappropriate and ineffective sentences given by the courts to the abusers were the primary cause for concern. Lenient sentences with little promise of treatment to achieve behavioral change characterized the sanctioning of wife abusers. Sentencing must be based on a culturally based understanding of domestic violence and involve interagency coordination of treatment and monitoring to reduce the chance of recidivism. 43 references