Citation

Johnson IM, Sigler RT. J. Crim. Justice 2000; 28(3): 165-179.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2000, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/S0047-2352(00)00033-7

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Recent reforms and policies developed in the area of domestic abuse have taken a harsher and more stringent approach in dealing with the abuse of women perpetrated by intimate male partners. One important research issue is whether the public's perception of the definition and criminalization of woman battering reflects the development of recent reform. The present study measured the public's perception of the definition and criminalization of wife abuse in 1986-87, 1991-92, and 1996-97. The findings of the study indicate that the public has a low tolerance for interpersonal violence directed at women and that the public's perception of the criminalization of wife abuse has become increasingly harsher over time.