Abstract
In spite of decades of effort to challenge the perception of domestic violence as a private matter and reframe it as a collective problem that society as a whole must address, domestic violence continues as a pervasive public health epidemic and human rights violation with tremendous social consequences globally and within the United States. Its target is overwhelmingly women and girls. The title of this book underscores the abysmal reality that this violence not only generates vast ripple effects for women, their families, and society as a whole, but that it is deadly. In a conservative estimate, domestic homicides claimed 10,600 lives between 2000 and 2006 and domestic violence nearly kills nine times more of its victims (Bureau of Justice, 2007). Snyder makes visible the magnitude of these crimes and our societal blind spots that minimize the dangers of domestic violence and imagines that such extreme crimes only occur “elsewhere” in the form of “femicides” or “honor crimes.” The author also exposes the link between domestic violence and other forms of violence in U.S. society, in particular mass shootings and the access to firearms—a fact that many politicians and interest groups would like to obscure.
Snyder engages the reader with individual stories from survivors and the families of murdered women, men who have battered, as well as practitioners, advocates, and law enforcement personnel who are utilizing promising practices to delimit domestic violence and avert such tragedies. The narratives are infused with important facts and statistics that position them within a broader context. The book is crafted to reach a wide audience and stands as recommended reading for anyone interested in this significant topic, as well as advocates, professionals in social work and mental health fields, health care, and the criminal justice system. Nevertheless, it is difficult reading, even for someone like myself who is an experienced practitioner in this field. As the author notes, the book explores some of the darkest corners of domestic violence, including the perspectives of men who have been mandated to participate in batterer intervention programs and grapple with deeply entrenched attitudes and their propensity for violence, as well as the trauma and damage they have wrought onto significant others.
The book succeeds in raising many critical questions about our national commitment to end domestic violence. Snyder presents persuasive evidence from researchers and practitioners that domestic violence homicides are predictable and can be prevented. She explores the ways in which important intervention points are often missed and the key identifiable indicators of lethality that should be routinely included in assessments and sentencing for such crimes. Snyder also illuminates the successes of specialized approaches, such as high-risk domestic violence response teams that can identify potential victims early in the process and better coordinate help for victims. Considering the abundance of evidence presented, one is compelled to ask: Why is there not greater funding to support replication of these approaches? Why are expenditures for violence prevention so meager in comparison with other types of public health expenditures? This book is a call for public attention to these larger public policy and cultural issues. A quote from a poster on the wall of a prison-based intervention program underscores this—“How do you stop a 30-year-old man from beating his wife? Talk to him when he’s 12” (p. 134). It draws attention to the necessity of broad-based efforts to transform gendered norms and stereotypes and address gender inequality, as well as the cultural concepts of manliness and toxic masculinity at the heart of much domestic violence.
This ambitious book covers a lot of ground. I found myself wondering about the basis on which the representative stories were selected and wished for perspectives of practitioners from specialized programs directed to Native women, women of color, and women of immigrant status since these communities have been the focus of special concern in the ongoing reauthorizations of the Violence Against Women Act. Nevertheless, this is a truly valuable book that will touch many and hopefully serves as a catalyst for action.
