Historically, domestic violence was not a crime and, under some circumstances, men were regulated in how, when, and where they could beat their wives. It was only recently that some societies have criminalized domestic violence. Although it is an individual woman’s right to not be beaten, domestic violence continues. While the roots of domestic violence are in the patriarchal family system, individual men carry out domination and abuse in intimate relationships. Patriarchy elicits violence against women in an indirect way by setting the cultural values and attitudes that men use to justify their abuse. However, if patriarchy were at fault, it would be expected that all men would be violent toward their intimate partner. Only a minority of men is violent towards women and, of those, few commit severe violence. Other factors contribute to this violence, including personality disorders. The more violent the abuse, the greater the chance of psychopathology. This macro/micro level approach is necessary if domestic violence against women is going to be eliminated. Domestic violence will continue to flourish until it is considered a community justice issue rather than an individual crime. Instead of focusing on the imprisonment of men as the solution, society needs to recognize widespread gender inequality as the underlying cause of domestic violence. A community-run neighborhood residential facility for batterers is an alternative to jail and prison. This residential facility program would fulfill three roles: it would shift the responsibility for battering from the woman to the batterer; it would provide a place where the batterer could live while making important changes in his life; and it would involve the community in monitoring the domestic violence situation. 2 endnotes, 28 references