{"id":1306,"date":"2017-02-24T08:00:43","date_gmt":"2017-02-24T14:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/?p=1306"},"modified":"2017-02-20T21:06:51","modified_gmt":"2017-02-21T03:06:51","slug":"the-limited-efficacy-of-domestic-violence-policies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/2017\/02\/24\/the-limited-efficacy-of-domestic-violence-policies\/","title":{"rendered":"The Limited Efficacy of Domestic Violence Policies"},"content":{"rendered":"
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NO MORE: Domestic Violence Awareness event in Hawaii. Photo by University of Hawaii, Flickr CC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently signed a new law that <\/span>decriminalizes domestic violence<\/span><\/a>. Perpetrators of domestic violence against children and spouses will only face charges if injuries require a hospital visit, and the punishment will take the form of fines rather than jail time. While this is certainly troubling, policies and laws concerning domestic violence in the United States are far from perfect — they are often limited in how much they change\u00a0the way perpetrators think of domestic violence, even if they sometimes keep abusers from repeating violent behavior.<\/span><\/p>\n

Often, particularly in the context of welfare policy, a mismatch tends to exist between low-income abused women\u2019s actual needs and the assumptions about those needs that inform policies on domestic violence. While policies and services can help victims to exit abusive relationships and offer protection and material support, they can also come with constraints that make leaving abusers difficult, such as requirements for teen parents\u00a0to live with a parent, to complete a GED or job training programs, and fear of deportation for immigrants. \u201cOne-size fits all\u201d policy approaches, such as those common in state welfare policies, make it hard for victims to make decisions about what works best for their individual situations because their individual experiences get trumped by blanket procedures.<\/span><\/h5>\n