The Victimization of Women

Book excerpt: In The Victimization of Women, Michelle Meloy and Susan Miller present a balanced, comprehensive, and objective summary of the most significant research on the victimizations, violence, and victim politics that disproportionately affect women. They examine the history of violence against women, the surrounding debates, the legal reforms and justice system outcomes, the related media and social-service responses, and the current science on intimate partner violence, stalking, sexual harassment, sexual assault, and rape. Plus, they augment these victimization findings with original research on women convicted of domestic battery and men convicted of sexual abuse and other sex-related offenses. In these new data the authors explore the unanticipated consequences associated with changes to the laws governing domestic violence and the newer forms of sex-offender legislation. Both of these investigations are based on qualitative data that involve in-depth offender-based interviews that probe the circumstances surrounding the arrests and victimizations involved in the cases, the significant legal issues, and their experiences with the criminal justice system.