Domestic violence in the United States is a multidimensional problem: complex and intertwining problems with insufficient remedies affect victims, their families, the courts, social-service agencies like Turning The Corner and other agencies that serve women survivors of domestic violence. Nonetheless, lawmakers and social-policymakers strive to resolve the domestic violence problem as well. Social service agencies and other concerned individuals and organizations develop imaginative ideas and visionary programs, they try new laws, and they develop a variety of treatment or intervention strategies for correcting and preventing domestic violence. Domestic violence researchers can do much to help to maximize the effectiveness of social programs designed to end the cycle of domestic violence. Domestic violence professionals can chronicle the patterns of abuse and can design studies to explain the persistence of domestic violence by pro-actively informing policymakers and lawmakers about what can be done to help victims of domestic violence and teach lawmakers what they can do to help stop the cycles of domestic violence. The real magnitude of the domestic violence problem in this society is largely unknown due in large measure to the lack of reporting by victims. John E. Murphy i reports that 18% of the women and 11% of the men he interviewed in Minnesota had, at least once in their lives, experienced a form of domestic violence. Murray A. Straus ii distinguishes an incidence rate from a prevalence rate in his 1975 and 1985 studies. He uses these studies to estimate recent increases in domestic violence. Employing the 1985 data, Straus estimated a 6.3% annual incidence rate of domestic violence. He estimates conservatively that 30% prevalence rate of American families will experience domestic violence over the course of a relationship. Further he estimates that the severely violent family in the general population typically experiences five major assaults per year. These figures are comparable to other estimates iii. Incidence is "the number of new cases of a particular problem that are identified or arise in a defined geographical area during a specified period of time." Prevalence is "the number of existing cases with a given condition in a particular geographic area at a specified time iv. Together these two indicators summarize the problem of domestic violence. A woman traumatized by an act of domestic violence needs help healing the emotional wounds she suffers along with the medical help provided for healing the physical consequences of domestic violence. All too often the woman survivor of domestic violence, like rape and other victims of assault often further suffer from the process of “blaming the victim” that is applied to so many other problems including spousal and child abuse. “She had it coming” is too prevalent a refrain in a male dominated society. One consequence of victim blaming is the all too persistent failure of the police and the criminal justice system in helping remedy the real problem of domestic violence. Police can and often do "misclassify" reports of domestic violence. A police department committed to ending the family violence problem - rather than blaming the victim of violence - gives the legal system an opportunity to stop the recurring cycle of domestic violence. Many studies verify the premise that police can help to end the cycle of domestic violence. Indeed the entire legal system can be effective in treating the domestic violence problem. On the other hand, It can make matters worse by blaming the victim. Sharon D. Herzberger and Noreen L. Channels v highlight another persistent problem that is associated with victim blaming in domestic violence problems. In their research they show that offenders of domestic violence who are accused of criminally violent acts against victims to whom they are related are more likely to be released on bail than others, and they are less likely to be convicted by a trial court judge. It is a persistent problem: blame the victim of domestic violence and treat the perpetrator with as much leniency as possible. A victim blaming approach will avoid any offender degradation associated with the criminal justice process. Even worse it tells the victim that she is on her own and to prepare for more abuse. Bruce K. Mac Murray highlights a third persistent problem in the legal response to family abuse: prosecutorial discretion. Mac Murray compares the case screening and prosecution decisions characterizing two Massachusetts counties in his qualitative research, " Legal Responses of Prosecutors to Child Sexual Abuse: A Case Comparison of Two Counties ." A 1983 Massachusetts law vi was designed to help prosecutors secure convictions in sexual abuse cases. The law identified the district attorney as the key criminal justice official responsible for criminalizing child sexual-abuse cases, another form of domestic violence. It did not, however, specify the criminal charges upon which individuals accused of sexual abuse should be prosecuted. Prosecutorial discretion was left unchecked and unstructured, thereby precluding uniformity in the prosecution of child sexual-abuse offenders. This style of law, one encouraging prosecutorial discretion, can permit an implicit victim-blaming approach through its failure to mandate a legalistic response to all cases of domestic violence. Professionals in the domestic violence field can help immensely. Cross-disciplinary approaches can be developed to help law enforcement officials to understand comprehensively the extent and consequences of all forms of domestic violence. Professionals in the field can continue to define precisely the separate forms or types of domestic abuse. Research that draws samples of victims and perpetrators can be conducted from the general population and from the known clinical and criminal populations. The long-term and unexpected consequences of domestic violence can be studied, and programs can be designed that follow up perpetrators who undergo treatment, and who experience punishment for their crimes. Finally cross-national inquiries of family abuse can be developed as well. Cross-national studies can show the importance of cultural norms and values in the genesis and tolerance of domestic violence. Unfortunately the lack of information about the law, inadequate programs, and reticence of victims contribute to inaction. The cost of domestic violence to our society is enormous and growing. Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent annually on legal, health and welfare services as a result of domestic violence (Danis, 2003). The cost to American communities, frightened women and children, healthcare, counseling and welfare services are monumental. Clearly, it is imperative that domestic violence becomes a matter of focused public concern. Unfortunately, many people view domestic violence as a private matter in which “outsiders” should not interfere. It is not easy for Americans to accept that our homes and families may be the setting for dangerous and life-threatening domestic violence. Learning the truths and myths associated with domestic violence, the effect it has on children, how the judicial system addresses it, and how social workers approach the problem can aid society and professionals in finding solutions to the widespread crisis of domestic violence. The economic effect of domestic violence is felt far beyond the personal life of the victim. Research suggests that as many as 74% of working women survivors of domestic violence are harassed by their abusive partners on the job; and, of them, each year 54% miss at least three full days of work a month; 56% are late for work on at least 60 days; and 28% leave early on at least 60 days as a result of their domestic violence relationships. This research also found that 20% of abused women lose their jobs altogether. The lack of security of victims of domestic violence compromises their ability to perform well on a daily basis and keep their jobs. 1 According to the 2001 American Institute on Domestic Violence employers and businesses are impacted in the following ways as a result of domestic violence: over 1,750,000 workdays are lost each year and between $3 and $5 billion in earnings is lost every year in absenteeism, lower productivity, higher turnover and health & safety costs. In a survey conducted by Corporate Awareness of Domestic Violence for Liz Claiborne of the 100 senior executives of Fortune 1,000 companies, 66% agreed that their company's financial performance would benefit from addressing the issue of domestic violence among its employees , and 49% said that domestic violence has a harmful effect on their company's productivity. Additionally, 94% of corporate security directors rank domestic violence as a high security risk. Domestic violence in the United States costs an estimated $67 billion annually. Domestic violence is therefore a public issue. Once, family life was private. The state regulated and governed family life least of all. The parent-child relationship was sacred. The husband wife relationship was not to be monitored or controlled by government. Now family problems are public. No longer can we afford to keep the domestic violence problem hidden within the family's closet. But neither can we afford to allow legal actions or social services to go unexamined, or to continue without assessment of their impact on the family, and not only on individuals. There is much to be done if the issue of domestic violence is to be addressed effectively. The time is now. Click here to Help Us Help End Domestic Violence About Nancy Salamone Ms. Salamone's previous corporate career includes twenty years at major New York City insurance and financial companies. She rose to the rank of vice president of marketing. She managed corporate budgets in excess of $20 million. But for most of her life, whenever she had to balance her own checkbook, she froze, terrorized. Although she was her household's wage earner, she turned over her entire paycheck to her husband, who retained tight control over all family finances. Although she regularly advised huge corporations how, why, and when to spend their money, she could not imagine how she could manage her money on her own. Finally, in late 1991, Ms. Salamone found the courage to leave her abusive husband and to "turn the corner" - to face her fears of money and to take responsibility for her own finances. Today, Ms. Salamone is a Chartered Life Underwriter and a lecturer at the Center for Financial Studies in New York and at New York University . She has served on the board of directors of the Society of Financial Service Professionals. She has learned to balance her checkbook, and is committed to using what she knows to help other women overcome their fears of managing their money. Nancy is the Founder and President of Turning
The Corner and the developer of Turning The Corner's landmark
national program " The
Business of Me ". The “Business
of Me” program is designed to help women achieve personal financial
health and independence, putting them in control of their own money.
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