Citation

Dawson M. J. Crim. Law Criminol. 2006; 96(4): 1417-1449.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Northwestern University School of Law)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

A review of the sociological and criminological literature on victim-defendant relationship and violence reveals common perspectives or assumptions about intimate violence. A careful examination of these assumptions reveals that they support another common assumption-that the courts treat (and should treat) intimate violence more leniently than violence between those who share more distant relationships. However, criminal justice researchers have yet to systematically examine the validity of these assumptions or the role they play in determining outcomes in violent crime. Using the focal concerns framework, ten perspectives are described and linked to various explanations for criminal justice leniency in cases of intimate violence. An exploratory analysis of one assumption highlights the need for future research to examine the validity of common assumptions as well as their impact on court outcomes in cases of violence.