A relatively new addition to the thirty-year old Congressional crime agenda is domestic violence. Congressional consideration of a federal criminal justice response to domestic violence, which began in 1990, resulted in the enactment of the "Violence Against Women Act," Title IV of the "Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994" (P.L. 103-322). By enacting this legislation, Congress sent a message to the public that domestic violence is "criminal behavior" and a national crime problem, deserving of Congressional attention. This article examines the evolution of 1994 "Violence against Women Act" between 1990 and 1994 from the perspective of symbolic politics. Such an approach provides insight into the Congressional criminal justice policy-making process and suggests an explanation as to why Congress, collectively, was galvanized to act on this issue in 1994.
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