Prosecution Strategies

1. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

1.1 Background and Purpose

The criminal justice system has only recently begun to respond to domestic violence as a public offense. Under common law, a man could lawfully beat his wife because he was legally responsible for her actions and therefore could “correct” her behavior through chastisement.’ Although wife beating was declared illegal in all states in 1920; domestic violence was largely ignored. Domestic violence historically has been viewed as a family matter, out of the purview of the criminal justice system. It was dealt with primarily through attempts at mediation or reconciliation, rather than through punishment. Attention to battered women in the U.S. did not become widespread until 1975 and early 1976, with the beginning of the Battered Womenk Movement? The roots of the movement saw the establishment of the first shelters for battered women in St. Paul, Minnesota and Boston, Massachusetts. Since that time, services for battered women have expanded through the establishment of additional suppor