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Abstract

As this century draws to a close, governments around the world are increasing their legal intervention in cases of wife assault. Yet few studies have examined the degree of popular approval for such interventions. This article reports the findings of a random sample of 510 adults in Singapore who responded to a series of questions regarding formal legal intervention in wife assaults. The results indicated that Singaporeans support police intervention in cases of wife assault and expect judges to treat such cases as seriously or more seriously than similar crimes while mandating abusers to receive treatment. Several demographic, personal history, and attitudinal factors affected the strength of an individual's advocacy for legal intervention.

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Advocating Legal Intervention in Wife Assaults

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