The Complexity of Battered Women

1
The Complexity of Battered Womens Lives
2
Institutional responses to domestic violence can

• Mask the complexity of the lives of victims which
  can
• Discourage victim participation in criminal cases
  against their abusers
• Discourage battered women from seeing the legal
  system as a resource
• Discourage battered women from following through
  with a proceeding which they started
• Keep battered women from talking about the abuse

3
The 12 Features of Institutions

• Discourses organize how workers think act
• Imposition of universal citizen
• Obscuration of institutional failure
• Diversified power
• Coercion
• Individuals separated from communities

• Fragmentation
• Textually coordinated
• Use of categories
• Lived and institutional time
• Supremacy of institutional mandate
• Communication without dialogue

4
Fragmentation
Complex lives divided into distinct cases
Crime
Divorce
Child Protection
Welfare
Housing
5
Fragmentation
Each case divided into processing steps
Sentencing
911 Call
Police Investigation
Pre-Trial
Arraignment
Trial
Crime
6
Each step divided into sub-steps
Victim calls
911 Call
Get info from caller
Look up info on parties/address
Assign call to dispatcher
Officers respond
Provide officers info
Notified when officers arrive
Communication accessed by patrol supervisor
Reproduced and put in case file
7
Fragmentation (Specialization)
Each step and sub-step assigned a specialist
Police Investigation
911 Call
Arraignment
Pre-Trial
Trial
Sentencing
Judge Prosecutor Defense Atty. Probation Officer
911 Operator
Judge Prosecutor Defense Atty.
Defense Atty. Prosecutor Judge
Officer
8
Fragmentation (decontextualizing)
Each event is a separate case
9
Praxis Rural Technical Assistance on Violence
Against Women
10
Conditions of Release
No Contact Order
Arraignment Hearing
Pre-Trial/ Hearing
Trial
Sentencing
Monitoring/Probation
Jail
Arrest Report
Non-Arrest Report
Arrest
No Arrest
911 Call
Squads Investigate
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE/ ARREST INCIDENT
Praxis Rural Technical Assistance on Violence
Against Women
11
CD Assessment Psych/Mental Health Parenting
Education Visitation Individual/Family Therapy DV
Classes
Court Oversees and Sanctions Plan
CHIPS COURT
Child Placement
Initial Intervention Unit Contacted
Child Protection Screening
CP Investigation
Child Welfare Assessment
Child Maltreatment Assessment
Law Enforcement Notified
CHILD PROTECTION MAP
Praxis Rural Technical Assistance on Violence
Against Women
12
HOUSING MAP
Landlord/HRA Notified
Warning Given
Sheriff Evicts
Eviction Hearing
Praxis Rural Technical Assistance on Violence
Against Women
13
ORDER FOR PROTECTION CIVIL COURT PROCESS
Judge Reviews
Advocacy Program
Files OFP
Sheriff Serves Respondent
Civil Court Hearing
Ex Parte Granted
Ex Parte Denied
Seeks Shelter
OFP Granted
OFP Denied
OFP Filed
Supervised Exchange/Visitation
Reliefs Granted
Praxis Rural Technical Assistance on Violence
Against Women
14
CUSTODY MAP
Files for Divorce
Family Court Hearing
Interviews by Evaluator
Temporary Custody
Custody Awarded
Custody Hearing
Supervised Exchange/Visitation
Custody Evaluation
Final Divorce Hearing
Child Support Established
Praxis Rural Technical Assistance on Violence
Against Women
15
CD Assessment Psych/Mental Health Parenting
Education Visitation Individual/Family Therapy DV
Classes
Court Oversees and Sanctions Plan
Conditions of Release
CHIPS COURT
Child Placement
No Contact Order
Arraignment Hearing
Pre-Trial/ Hearing
Trial
Sentencing
Monitoring/Probation
Initial Intervention Unit Contacted
Child Protection Screening
Jail
CP Investigation
Arrest Report
Non-Arrest Report
Child Welfare Assessment
Child Maltreatment Assessment
Arrest
No Arrest
Law Enforcement Notified
Judge Reviews
911 Call
Squads Investigate
Advocacy Program
Files OFP
Sheriff Serves Respondent
Civil Court Hearing
Ex Parte Granted
Ex Parte Denied
Files for Divorce
Seeks Shelter
Landlord/HRA Notified
Family Court Hearing
Warning Given
Sheriff Evicts
OFP Granted
OFP Denied
Interviews by Evaluator
Temporary Custody
Eviction Hearing
OFP Filed
Custody Awarded
Custody Hearing
Supervised Exchange/Visitation
Custody Evaluation
Reliefs Granted
Final Divorce Hearing
Child Support Established
Praxis Rural Technical Assistance on Violence
Against Women