Looking back and looking forward: Psychological and legal interventions for domestic violence

This article traces the history of the last 40 years in identifying and assessing domestic violence victims and its impact on the family. Although there is a long and unfortunate history of domestic violence or intimate partner abuse, only since the United Nations, the United States, and other countries began to focus on the civil rights of women, has the focus been on understanding the dynamics of power and control in these relationships and studied the commonalities with other forms of gender violence and intersections with other aspects of cultural norms and values. Overcoming barriers to resources including changes in the criminal justice, civil, and family laws has been a critical step to protecting women and children from further abuse. Custody laws and presumptions of shared parental access continue to place these families in danger. Trauma therapy with an emphasis on reducing power and control issues together with using the courts to help solve problems (therapeutic jurisprudence) are among the recommendations