Portwood Sharon G, Heany Julia Finkel
University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Institute for Social Capital, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA.
Int J Law Psychiatry. 2007 May-Jun;30(3):237-47. doi: 10.1016/j.ijlp.2007.03.007. Epub 2007 Apr 19.
Violence against women represents a serious problem in America. Not only does intimate partner violence represent a significant threat to women, but it also counts among its victims, children living in the violent household. By its very nature, intimate partner or domestic violence may be approached as either a legal or a social problem. However, there is a shortage of legal approaches that have been informed by sound social science research. One promising framework for developing such integrated responses to intimate partner violence is therapeutic jurisprudence, which encourages legal professionals to work closely with social scientists to develop system responses based on empirical data. Such an approach contrasts sharply with the current practice of developing law based on assumptions, which frequently reflect traditional paternalistic and sexist attitudes toward women. This paper begins by examining the current theories and scientific knowledge on domestic violence with particular emphasis on the supporting data. A theoretical framework for conceptualizing domestic violence characterized as patriarchal terrorism as distinct from common couple violence is examined and offered as a means of explaining inconsistencies in research findings. Following a review of current legal responses to domestic violence, the paper concludes by outlining alternative strategies and recommendations for future efforts that are supported by current theory and research.
在美国，针对妇女的暴力行为是一个严重问题。亲密伴侣暴力不仅对妇女构成重大威胁，其受害者还包括生活在暴力家庭中的儿童。就其本质而言，亲密伴侣暴力或家庭暴力既可以被视为一个法律问题，也可以被视为一个社会问题。然而，基于可靠社会科学研究的法律应对措施却很匮乏。一个有望用于制定针对亲密伴侣暴力综合应对措施的框架是治疗法学，它鼓励法律专业人员与社会科学家密切合作，根据实证数据制定系统应对措施。这种方法与目前基于假设制定法律的做法形成鲜明对比，后者常常反映出对女性传统的家长式和性别歧视态度。本文首先审视当前关于家庭暴力的理论和科学知识，特别强调支撑数据。文中考察并提出了一个将家庭暴力概念化为父权制恐怖主义（有别于普通伴侣暴力）的理论框架，以此作为解释研究结果中不一致之处的一种方式。在回顾了当前对家庭暴力的法律应对措施之后，本文最后概述了由当前理论和研究所支持的未来工作的替代策略和建议。
