Domestic Violence: Loopholes in the Arizona Legal System Essay

The United States has a long history of domestic violence. Nearly six million American women will be battered by their spouses every year (United Way, 1998). Tradition gives men the right to control their family including their wife. Violence is tolerated under these traditional conditions as discipline (Cohen, 1996). Domestic violence is overwhelmingly connected by men .. to discipline and coerce women (Cohen, 1996). Husbands use violence against their wives as a way of coercing them, establishing control, and conveying rules to regulate proper female behavior (Dobash & Dobash, 1977-1978). This type of black behavior often comes from the ideology that women ar subordinate to men (Cohen, 1996). This way of thinking was dominant until the feminist movements when women protested for equal rights and got them. It has still been a struggle to get under ones skin womens issues recognized by law, however. Domestic violence is a serious issue that needs to be thoroughly add ressed, especially in border states like azimuth which encounter a large Mexican immigrant population, often with traditional views. To have an effective legal system which thoroughly addresses domestic violence, abusers must be held responsible by law for their actions and all victims need to be able to receive aid and support from the state. Currently, these requirements for an effective legal system regarding domestic violence are not met in Arizona. Every year there is some 16,000 domestic violence charges filed in the Tucson Police Department and Pima County Sheriffs Office combined (United Way, 1998). The state does have punishment for these abusers. There are many laws is Arizona regarding domestic violence, however there are problems with the... ... Social Policy, and Violence, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 70, No. 5, 1996. Moore, Roberta. counseling for the Oasis Crisis Center, University of Arizona, 1999. Neff, James Holamon, Bruce Schlut er, Tracy. Spousal Violence Among Alglos, Blacks, and Mexican Americans, Journal of Family Violence, Vol. 10, No. 1, 1995. Vargas, Alexia. Split Decision, Wall Street Journal, Vol. CCXXII, Nove. 18, 1998. Wabnik, Alisa. Bill Proposes Prison for 3rd Offense, Arizona free-and-easy Star, March 16, 1998. http//www.azstarnet.com/plusb-cgi/fastw... National Research Council. Lack of Research Hampers Strategies to Stem Violence Against Women. May 1, 1996. http//www.nap.edu/bookstore/lsbn/0309054257.htm. United Way of Greater Tucson. Special Report on Domestic Violence, 1998. http//www.unitedwaytucson.org/unitedway/report/domestic.htm.