Response to the Victims of Domestic Violence: Analysis and Implications of the British Experience

Abstract

This article examines the problem of domestic violence in Great Britain. Two characteristics set Great Britain apart from the United States: it has a much stronger feminist movement, and a much lower level of stranger-to-stranger violence. The lower amount of violence in the culture and the stronger feminist movement may have changed the public's willingness to engage in domestic violence and may have made the British criminal justice system more progressive in its response. Through a review of the literature and observation of the system, this study highlights the prevalence of domestic violence and the role of the British criminal justice system in processing domestic violence cases. It finds that the prevalence rate of domestic violence is quite similar to the United States, and the British system has been less progressive in its response. Explanations that point to the level of violence in a culture and the feminist movement receive little support in this analysis.