NCJ Number
129474
Date Published
1991
Length
17 pages
Annotation
Efforts to develop public policies to respond to woman battering are similar to other policy efforts in the United States in that they rest on inadequate information, disagreements about specific goals and means, and competition to shape conclusions about the public interest.
Abstract
Throughout the country's history, Americans have wanted government to solve problems in a rational way. However, no rational policy process exists, complicating policy development relating to domestic assault which has only recently been defined by society and government as a public problem and a crime. Victims, offenders, and witnesses are coming into a variety of public and private agencies; each with different priorities, skills, and measures of success. The fragmentation of efforts have resulted in calls for coordination; an attractive goal that is difficult but not impossible to achieve. In addition, many current responses reflect policymakers' awareness of public concern about the problem and lack of certainty about what policies the public will accept. Although current policies sometimes promise more than government can deliver, stopping battering is an important goal, and well-considered efforts to achieve it equip us to accomplish even more. 71 references and list of topics covered in additional papers