https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(06)69523-8.pdf

Prevalence of intimate partner violence: findings from the WHO multi-country study on women's health and domestic violence

This 1966 paperback edition of a publication which first appeared in 1963 has by now been widely reviewed as a worthy contribution to the sociological study of deviant behavior. Its current appearance as a paperback is a testimonial both to the quality of the work and to the prominence of deviant behavior in this generation. In general the author places deviance in perspective, identifies types of deviant behavior, considers the role of rule makers and enforcers, and some of the problems in studying deviance. In addition, he develops a sequential model of deviance relying on the concept of career, a concept originally developed in studies of occupations. In his study of a particular kind of deviance, the use of marihuana, the author posits and tests systematically an hypothesis about the genesis of marihuana use for pleasure. The hypothesis traces the sequence of changes in individual attitude

Outsiders Studies in the Sociology of Deviance.

Nos últimos trinta trinta anos, houve profundas mudanças na forma como compreendemos o crime e a justiça criminal. O crime tornou-se um evento simbólico, um verdadeiro teste para a ordem social e para as políticas governamentais, um desafio para a sociedade civil, para a democracia e para os direitos humanos. Segundo David Garland, professor da Faculdade de Direito da New York University, um dos principais autores no campo da Sociologia da Punição e com artigo publicado na Revista de Sociologia e Política , número 13, na modernidade tardia houve uma verdadeira obsessão securitária, direcionando as políticas criminais para um maior rigor em relação às penas e maior intolerância com o criminoso. Há trinta anos, nos EUA e na Inglaterra essa tendência era insuspeita. O livro mostra que os dois países compartilham intrigantes similaridades em suas práticas criminais, a despeito da divisão racial, das desigualdades econômicas e da letalidade violenta que marcam fortemente o cenário americano. Segundo David Garland, encontram-se nos dois países os “mesmos tipos de riscos e inseguranças, a mesma percepção a respeito dos problemas de um controle social não-efetivo, as mesmas críticas da justiça criminal tradicional, e as mesmas ansiedades recorrentes sobre mudança e ordem sociais”1 (GARLAND, 2001, p. 2). O argumento principal da obra é o seguinte: a modernidade tardia, esse distintivo padrão de relações sociais, econômicas e culturais, trouxe consigo um conjunto de riscos, inseguranças e problemas de controle social que deram uma configuração específica às nossas respostas ao crime, ao garantir os altos custos das políticas criminais, o grau máximo de duração das penas e a excessivas taxas de encarceramento.

http://www.scielo.br/pdf/rsocp/n20/n20a15.pdf

The culture of control: crime and social order in contemporary, society

A growing body of empirical research has demonstrated that intimate partner violence is not a unitary phenomenon and that types of domestic violence can be differentiated with respect to partner dynamics, context, and consequences. Four patterns of violence are described: Coercive Controlling Violence, Violent Resistance, Situational Couple Violence, and Separation-Instigated Violence. The controversial matter of gender symmetry and asymmetry in intimate partner violence is discussed in terms of sampling differences and methodological limitations. Implications of differentiation among types of domestic violence include the need for improved screening measures and procedures in civil, family, and criminal court and the possibility of better decision making, appropriate sanctions, and more effective treatment programs tailored to the characteristics of different types of partner violence. In family court, reliable differentiation should provide the basis for determining what safeguards are necessary and what types of parenting plans are appropriate to ensure healthy outcomes for children and parent‐child relationships.

/pdf/differentiation-among-types-of-intimate-partner-violence-4m6uqa514e.pdf

Differentiation among types of intimate partner violence: research update and implications for interventions

ContextIntimate partner violence is prevalent and is associated with significant
impairment, yet it remains unclear which interventions, if any, reduce rates
of abuse and reabuse.ObjectiveTo systematically review, from the perspective of primary health care,
the available evidence on interventions aimed at preventing abuse or reabuse
of women.Data SourcesMEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, HealthStar, and Sociological Abstracts were
searched from the database start dates to March 2001 using database-specific
key words such as domestic violence, spouse abuse, partner abuse, shelters, and battered women. References of
key articles were hand searched. The search was updated in December 2002.Study SelectionBoth authors reviewed all titles and abstracts using established inclusion/exclusion
criteria. Twenty-two articles met the inclusion criteria for critical appraisal.Data ExtractionFollowing the evidence-based methods of the Canadian Task Force on Preventive
Health Care, both authors independently reviewed the 22 included studies using
an established hierarchy of study designs and criteria for rating internal
validity. Quality ratings of individual studies—good, fair, or poor—were
determined based on a set of operational parameters specific to each design
category developed with the US Preventive Services Task Force.Data SynthesisScreening instruments exist that can identify women who are experiencing
intimate partner violence. No study has examined, in a comparative design,
the effectiveness of screening when the end point is improved outcomes for
women (as opposed to identification of abuse). No high-quality evidence exists
to evaluate the effectiveness of shelter stays to reduce violence. Among women
who have spent at least 1 night in a shelter, there is fair evidence that
those who received a specific program of advocacy and counseling services
reported a decreased rate of reabuse and an improved quality of life. The
benefits of several other intervention strategies in treating both women and
men are unclear, primarily because of a lack of suitably designed research
measuring appropriate outcomes. In most cases, the potential harms of interventions
are not assessed within the studies reviewed.ConclusionsMuch has been learned in recent years about the epidemiology of violence
against women, yet information about evidence-based approaches in the primary
care setting for preventing intimate partner violence is seriously lacking.
The evaluation of interventions to improve the health and well-being of abused
women remains a key research priority.

Interventions for Violence Against Women: Scientific Review

According to the 'normalisation thesis', drug use has become an 'unremarkable' feature of contemporary life for young people. Previous quantitative research, however, neglects to assess the extent of variation in young people's social accommodation of drug use. This paper uses data from a purposive survey of young people who frequently attended clubs in a major night-time entertainment district in Brisbane, Australia to assess group differences in attitudes towards drug use. Using social interaction models, we find evidence of significant variation in views about drug use even among the sample of frequent club goers. We also demonstrate an endogenous - or social interaction - effect where young people's views are associated with the views of others who prefer to attend the same clubs. Overall, our results support the recent calls for a differentiated understanding of drug normalisation. We conclude that locations and social processes are important for understanding group differences in the social accommodation of drug use.

Drug normalisation and Australian youth: group differences in the social accommodation of drug use

Aim: To determine what factors independently predict violent DV-related re-offending among a cohort of people convicted of a(ny) DV offence and given a non-custodial penalty. Method: Data from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) Reoffending Database were used to examine violent DV-related reconviction. A cohort of DV offenders convicted in 2011-12 was first identified using domestic violence lawpart codes, and followed up for two years. To identify the best fitting model we first examined bi-variate relationships between explanatory variables and the dependent variable. We then estimated a multivariate logistic regression model to determine which variables independently predicted reconviction. Finally, we tested the predictive validity of the model using a range of cross-validation strategies. Results: Among the cohort of adult offenders (n = 14,660), 8% were reconvicted of a violent DV-related offence within two years of the index conviction. Eleven explanatory variables were found to best predict reconviction - representing offender demographic, index offence, and criminal history characteristics. The resulting model showed acceptable levels of predictive validity. Conclusion: To the extent that they direct appropriate interventions, risk assessment tools could be one part of a more complete community safety strategy aimed at violent DV recidivism. Limitations of the current study are discussed.

Assessing the risk of domestic violence recidivism

Over the past 15 years much has been made of the moderating influence of job discretion and support in occupations that are perceived to be high in demands. Such an effect seems to be most prevalent when subject populations are large and heterogeneous. One aim of this study was to examine the influence of subjective perceptions of these variables on strain reactions among a group of relatively homogeneous workers such as, in the present study, prison officers (n = 274). A second aim was to extend previous research and examine the joint influence of negative affectivity and perceptions of demands, discretion, and support on mental and physical well-being. It was hypothesized that those high in negative affect would be particularly strained by jobs perceived as being demanding. The hypothesized relationship between job demands, discretion and support were found to be weak and at times inconsistent. Social support, in particular, was found to have both positive and negative consequences for differen...

Job design and levels of physical and mental strain among Australian prison officers

Official statistics consistently demonstrate the gendered nature of domestic violence ('DV'). A recent report states that violence against women affected one in three Australian women and cost the economy around $13.6 billion in 2009 with women being most harmed. Over the past two decades, the legal response to DV has been increasingly focused on civil domestic violence protection order legislation in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. Domestic violence protection orders ('DVPOs') are now the most common legal remedy sought by, or on behalf of, women experiencing DV. In all Australian states a civil DVPO can be made by the lower courts to restrict and prohibit a perpetrator of DV (a respondent) from committing further acts of violence against a person (an aggrieved). While in the vast majority of these cases, applications are lodged by or on behalf of one partner (typically a female) against the other partner (typically a male), in a smaller proportion of cases both partners seek protection orders against each other. In some cases these 'cross-applications' will result in 'cross-orders', or mutual protection orders being made by the court resulting in a DVPO against both parties. In the event of a cross-order, there are conditions attached to each partner's DVPO. In Queensland, all DVPOs will include a condition that the party be of good behaviour toward the aggrieved and individual DVPOs may also include other conditions, for example, a person may be prohibited from making contact with the aggrieved and from entering specified premises.

/pdf/legal-processes-and-gendered-violence-cross-applications-for-1drfuojt0k.pdf

Legal processes and gendered violence: Cross-applications for domestic violence protection orders

Recent Australian reforms to parole following high-profile violations are premised on a purported public desire for greater restrictions on the use of parole. These changes reflect the tendency of legislatures to presume that the public is largely punitive and invoke a ‘forfeiture’ of rights rationale that weakens support for offender rehabilitation. We consider whether restricting parole is based on a sound reading of public views. Drawing on a national study of public opinion on parole in Australia, we use a latent variable approach to look for distinct patterns in attitudes to parole and re-entry. We also examine what factors explain these patterns. The results support the conclusion that appealing to a public belief in offenders’ ability to change may be the most effective way to increase public confidence in parole systems.

Robin Fitzgerald

Papers

Drug normalisation and Australian youth: group differences in the social accommodation of drug use

Assessing the risk of domestic violence recidivism

Job design and levels of physical and mental strain among Australian prison officers

Legal processes and gendered violence: Cross-applications for domestic violence protection orders

Redemption or forfeiture? Understanding diversity in Australians’ attitudes to parole: