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Wife Abuse in the Armed Forces

NCJ Number
97793
Author(s)
L A West; W M Turner; E Dunwoody
Date Published
1981
Length
193 pages
Annotation
This study was undertaken to examine wife abuse and its exacerbating factors within the military, to examine current military programs and policies that deal with wife abuse, and to make recommendations for improving programs better to serve military families.
Abstract
Information was drawn from interviews and correspondence with battered military wives, policymakers, and social service, legal, and medical officials. Site visits to programs for violent families at bases in the United States and abroad also were conducted. Among factors identified as contributing to wife abuse in the military were financial pressures, family separation, the isolation associated with geographic mobility, and the woman's role and identity in the military. Additional factors include military rank and role expectations, drug and alcohol abuse, combat stress, and financial and language barriers to communications overseas. The Department of Defense Family Advocacy Program sets policy for all the Armed Forces in addressing the prevention, evaluation, treatment and reporting of child and spouse abuse. When the program is implemented fully, managers from each branch of service will manage and monitor their service's program. Each will establish a central case management file for documentation and treatment tracking. Each also will coordinate with other organizations for the exchange of information on operational, medical, psychological, and counseling aspects of the program. Efforts also will be undertaken to avoid duplication of and gaps in service provision. How the Army, Air Force, and Navy/Marines might implement Department of Defense policy directives in their own programs is considered. Military programs for abused women and their spouses are described in terms of staffing, funding, training, and service provision (crisis intervention, counseling, and shelter). Military legal options for dealing with domestic violence are summarized. Recommendations, based on research materials, are presented for improving both policy and programs within the armed forces. Extensive notes are included. Appendixes provide additional information on women's advocacy programs, the Uniform Code of Military Justice, legal aid, and civilian and military sources contacted in the course of the study. Also provided are 74 references.