Battered Women and the State: The Struggle for the Future of Domestic Violence Policy.

Source: (2004) Wisconsin Law Review. Pp. 1657-1740.

According to Emily Sack, perspectives on domestic violence have cycled from an old view of it as a psychological problem between two people with the battered person more or less equally to blame, to recognition that it was a matter of public concern requiring dramatic changes in public policy to address it, and back to an interpretation of it as a ‘family matter’ and a ‘sick dance’ best dealt with outside the legal system. Sack expresses great concern at this trend. To explore it, she examines the historical treatment of domestic violence, the critique of current domestic violence policies from advocates within the battered women’s movement, critiques of domestic violence policy from groups outside the battered women’s movement, and strategies to move domestic violence policy forward without losing its previous successes.