Citation

Renzetti CM. Violence Against Women 2001; 7(6): 685-698.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2001, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/10778010122182668

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

In March 1996, the “One strike and you're out” initiative, a federal policy to fight crime in public housing, became official when President Clinton signed the Housing Opportunity Program Extension Act of 1996. Touted by the federal government as a tough anticrime measure to make public housing safe for law-abiding residents, the primary targets of One Strike are supposed to be gangs, drug dealers, and violent criminals. However, this article examines the potentially harmful consequences of the One Strike policy for formerly and currently battered women. These harmful consequences include making it more difficult for a battered woman to leave her abuser and putting her at risk of losing her public housing lease because of the abuser's behavior. The article concludes by suggesting amendments to One Strike as well as raising questions that need to be addressed in future research.