NCJ Number
83397
Date Published
1982
Length
112 pages
Annotation
The concept of conjugal terrorism as a way to define wife abuse is presented by means of a review of the literature on the nature of wife abuse and a presentation of a community-based model for its treatment.
Abstract
Wife abuse is a form of terrorism in that the violent husband uses violence to threaten and harass his wife into submission in a manner analogous to the way terrorists threaten their kidnap victims. Wife abuse stems from both personal and cultural factors. While the police and the courts are sometimes asked to help in cases of wife abuse, they are of little help and may actually contribute to the violence. The community response to the plight of the battered woman has been to ignore the problem. However, the community is crucial to the treatment of battered wives because it holds the psychological and financial resources to free women from their torment. By establishing programs designed specifically for battered women, the community legitimizes these women's struggle for equal protection under the law and provides both physical safety and a chance for the woman to free herself from economic dependence. The three possible levels of intervention in wife abuse are legal, psychological, and community. The California law related to wife abuse has recently changed. Whereas police officers previously had to determine whether a misdemeanor or felony had occurred, wife abuse will now automatically be a felony. In addition, the definition of wife abuse as a specific crime will permit collection of statistical data which had previously been unavailable. While psychological intervention previously consisted mainly of individual psychotherapy for the wife, a new approach views violence as a problem in living involving the interplay of both individual and environmental factors. Thus, community psycholgists examine factors which potentially reinforce conjugal violence and design strategies to alter them. Provisions of a refuge for the wife is viewed as the most effective step toward treatment. Community intervention entails specific therapeutic programs such as a shelter providing physical safety for the women and a program providing job training opportunities and peer support groups. Recommendations for research and for efforts to develop effective communitywide intervention strategies are offered. A bibliography listing 133 references and appendixes presenting sample materials about community programs are provided.