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Vilification of the "Batterer": How Blame Shapes Domestic Violence Policy and Interventions

NCJ Number
200424
Journal
Aggression and Violent Behavior Volume: 8 Issue: 3 Dated: May-June 2003 Pages: 259-281
Author(s)
Ken Corvo; Pamela J. Johnson
Editor(s)
Vincent B. Van Hasselt, Michel Hersen
Date Published
May 2003
Length
23 pages
Annotation
This article explores ways in which the “vilification of the batterer” has influenced research, policy, and intervention in the field of domestic violence.
Abstract
In achieving greater clarity with respect to those labeled as “batterers” and determining what is effective and what is not in terms of interrupting and preventing abusive behavior within the context of the family, it is necessary to disentangle issues of blame, stigma, and censure from issues of etiology, intervention, and outcome and challenge the notion that vilification of perpetrators is necessary to advocate for those victimized by violence. This article explores the cycle of violence and the predestination and inevitability of batterin; the feminist theory; consequences of vilification in relation to research, policy, and practice; and the rethinking of redemption. Consciously choosing not to participate in the vilification of domestic violence perpetrators is a difficult path with the current trends within the field. However, it may bring individuals closer to a fuller understanding of the phenomena of domestic violence, as well as the development of effective intervention and prevention strategies. Appendix and references

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