Handbook of Domestic Violence Intervention Strategies

Book excerpt: Public awareness regarding the life-threatening nature and intense traumatic impact of domestic violence has substantially increased in the past decade. At the same time, dramatic changes have taken place regarding criminal justice and social work policies and practices applied to domestic violence intervention. And while the prevalence of domestic violence has declined slightly, national estimates still indicate that every year, approximately eight million women are abused, battered, stalked, or killed by their husbands, boyfriends, and other intimate partners. Featuring cutting-edge research and expert intervention strategies, the Handbook of Domestic Violence Intervention Strategies: Policies, Programs, and Legal Remedies is designed to prepare professionals to swiftly and compassionately meet the multiple needs of women and children who have suffered from domestic violence. This original and indispensable volume focuses on the numerous advances in legal remedies, program developments, treatment protocols, and multidisciplinary perspectives. It is a comprehensive guide to the latest research, public policies, and legal and criminal justice responses, covering federal and state legislation as well as trends in police and court responses to domestic violence. This is the first book to include court-based technology developments and new research related to the duration and intensity of woman battering. Highlighting actual cases and promising programs, the handbook also addresses important social work issues, including risk assessment protocols, a new five level continuum of woman battering, intervention methods, and treatment models. The book also examines the myriad legal issues and health problems facing the most neglected and vulnerable battered women. Written by expert practitioners and leading scholars in the field, the book's 23 chapters provide rich insights into the complexities and challenges of addressing domestic violence. This timely and definitive handbook is recommended for students, clinicians, policy makers, and researchers in the fields of social work, victim services, criminal justice, hospital administration, mental health counseling, public health, pastoral counseling, law enforcement. In fact, this volume is a critical resource for all helping professionals who are assisting abused women in escaping and remaining free from violent relationships.