|
Home > Systemwide > Service Array > Domestic Violence > Overview > Legislation and Policies Related to Domestic Violence
Legislation and Policies Related to Domestic Violence
The following resources address the topic of domestic violence and child welfare in Federal and State legislation and policies.
 |
| |
 |
|
Federal Laws and Legislation
Office on Violence Against Women
Provides information about the Violence Against Women Act and related laws and legislation.
Family Violence – Legislation
National Criminal Justice Reference Service
Links to resources addressing family violence legislation and testimony on the Federal and State level.
Battered Women's Justice Project
Offers training, technical assistance, and consultation on promising practices of the criminal and civil justice systems in addressing domestic violence.
Child Witnesses to Domestic Violence
Discusses legal measures to protect children who may be harmed by witnessing acts of domestic violence in their homes.
Definitions of Domestic Violence
The definition of domestic violence varies depending on the context in which the term is used. A clinical or behavioral definition is "a pattern of assaultive and/or coercive behaviors, including physical, sexual, and psychological attacks, as well as economic coercion, that adults or adolescents use against their intimate partners." Legal definitions across the States generally describe specific conduct or acts that are subject to civil and criminal actions, and the specific language used may vary depending on whether the definition is found in the civil or criminal sections of the State?s code.
|
|
|
 |
 |
Children's Exposure to Domestic Violence: Is it Child Abuse?
National Conference of State Legislatures (2002)
Provides an overview of the issues surrounding the inclusion of domestic violence exposure in child abuse statutes and offers suggestions for legislatures and policymakers to consider before changing State laws on the issue.
Do Good Intentions Beget Good Policy? A Review of Child Protection Policies to Address Intimate Partner Violence
Nixon, Tutty, Weaver-Dunlop, & Walsh
Children and Youth Services Review, 29(12), 2007
View Abstract
Reviews and analyzes child protection policies and legislative changes in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand to provide a general analysis of how the issue of child exposure to intimate partner violence has been addressed.
Legal and Policy Responses to Children Exposed to Domestic Violence: The Need to Evaluate Intended and Unintended Consequences
Jaffe, Crooks, & Wolfe
Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 6(3), 2003
View Abstract
Examines court-related responses in criminal, child protection, and family court custody proceedings, highlighting legislative changes and resulting systemic change.
Should Childhood Exposure to Adult Domestic Violence Be Defined as Child Maltreatment Under the Law?
Edleson (2004)
In Protecting Children From Domestic Violence: Strategies for Community Intervention
Describes the effect of domestic violence on children and debates the policy of defining exposure to domestic violence as a form of child maltreatment.
Violence Against Women
Zorza (Ed.) (2004)
View Abstract
Reviews programs, policies, and legal developments in the field of interpersonal violence, including critical analyses of important case law and legislation.
|
RSS
