Domestic violence laws: the voices of battered women.
This article reports the findings from an exploratory survey of battered women's views about mandatory arrest, mandatory reporting by doctors and nurses, no-drop policies, confidentiality laws, privilege laws, court-victim advocate programs, and specialized domestic violence courts. Although there was general support for the adoption of these laws, some variation based on demographic and situational circumstance was found. These findings raise questions about the universalistic nature of polices developed to address the problem of domestic violence. Battered women are not a homogeneous group, and public policy may be better designed to accommodate the individual needs of victims.
Smith
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Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ, USA.
D001294:Attitude to Health; D018585:Battered Women / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003219:Confidentiality / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D005260:Female; D006291:Health Policy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D019221:Mandatory Reporting; D015146:Midwestern United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D010344:Patient Advocacy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D016495:Police / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012923:Social Class; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016387:Women's Health