Citation

Lewis R, Dobash RP, Dobash RE, Cavanagh K. Int. Rev. Victimology 2000; 7(1-3): 179-205.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2000, World Society of Victimology, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/026975800000700310

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article addresses the neglected question of what women who experience 'domestic violence' want from the law and examines the ways in which women actively engage with the legal system. Viewing women as agents trying to survive abuse, we examine their interaction with both civil and criminal legal systems as part of their 'active negotiation and strategic resistance' to men's violence. This represents a break from the tradition which has tended to view women survivors as passive recipients of the law and has focused on outcomes of legal intervention to the exclusion of process. Using data from a British evaluation of criminal justice responses to domestic violence, we analyse legal processes which support or fail to support women and argue that legal interventions can contribute to women's improved safety and quality of life.

Language: en