Domestic violence final

Domestic Violence

Violent or aggressive behavior within the home, typically involving the abuse of a spouse or partner

Child abuse

Physical maltreatment or sexual molestation of a child

Neglect

Failure of a parent or caretaker to provide needed food, clothing, shelter, medical care, or supervision to the degree that the child’s health, safety and well-being are at risk.

Mandatory reporting

Legal obligations requiring certain professions to report suspected abuse, neglect or harm.

Sexual assault

Any nonconsensual sexual act, contact, or behavior forced upon someone

Competency

A skill or ability, especially one required to perform a particular job or role

Cyber abuse

The use of technology to establish power and control by causing fear and/or intimidation.

Intersectionality

The interconnected nature of social catergorizations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual or group, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage.

VAWA (Violence Against Women Act)

Passed in 1994, provide funding and legal frameworks to combat domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and dating violence by improving criminal justice responses, offering victim services and establishing protections.

Marital rape

Nonconsensual sexual intercourse or sexual acts forced by a spouse upon another spouse.

Battering

The action of striking repeatedly with hard blows

Abandonment

Failure of a caregiver to provide for a dependent person, leaving them without essential needs like food, shelter or health care

Anti-violence movement

Aims for solutions beyond punishment, like healing and addressing root causes of violence like poverty and lack of resources.

Restorative justice

A holistic approach to crime and conflict that focuses on repairing the harm caused, rather than just punishing the offenders by bringing together those affected in dialogue to decide how to make things right.

Primary aggressor

The person who poses the most serious and ongoing threat in a domestic violence situation and is identified by the most significant pattern of coercive and controlling behavior, not just who started the altercation.

Transgender

People whose gender identity differs from the sex they were assigned at birth based on their anatomy

Dementia

A decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life, affecting memory, thinking communication and problem solving.

Financial exploitation

Improper or unauthorized use of an individuals funds, property, or resourced for monetary of personal gain.

Elder abuse

An intentional or negligent act by any person that causes harm or a serous risk for harm to an older adult.

Ombudsperson

Acts as a neutral, informal, and confidential problem-solver to help individuals within an organization or a government entity resolve dispute and address concerns.

Mediation

Informal process where a mediator helps people with a dispute to reach agreement. Identifies important issues, clarifies misunderstandings, explores solutions and negotiates settlement

Institutional abuse

The mistreatment, abuse, or neglect, of an individual caused by the systems, policies, practices and culture within a specific care or service setting.

Dual arrest

Police arrest both people involved in the incident, rather than identifying and arresting only the primary aggressor.

Civil courts

Resolve disputes between individuals or organizations. One party sues another seeking a legal remedy, like financial compensation or a court order to perform an action

Specialized domestic violence courts

Dedicated court programs or dockets that handle cases involving intimate partner violence

Family court

A specialized court handling legal issues concerning children and family, including custody, support, abuse, neglect, paternity, adoption, guardianship, domestic violence, and juvenile delinquency

Criminal court

Court of law that tries and determines cases involving offenses against criminal law, where the government prosecutes and individual for committing a crime, focusing on punishment like jail, fines, or community service

Probable cause

Requiring law enforcement to have a reasonable belief, based on specific facts, that a crime has occurred or evidence of a crime exists, justifying an arrest, searching or warrant, protecting against unreasonable government intrusion under the fourth amendment.

Stereotyping

The cognitive process of applying oversimplified, generalized, and often biased beliefs to entire groups of people, ignoring individual differences.

Cyber harassment

The use of technology to repeatedly intimidate, threaten, or cause distress to another person.

Misdemeanor

A non indictable offense. Regarded as less serious than a felony.

Stalking

Harass or persecute someone with unwanted and obsessive attention

Felony

A crime, typically one involving violence, regarded as more serious than a misdemeanor, and usually punishable by imprisonment for more than a year or death

Homicide

The act of one person causing the death of another

Criminalization

Process by which behaviors or individuals are defined as “criminal” and become subject to legal sanctions. It involves the transformation of certain acts into crimes through legislation, judicial decisions or law enforcement practices and is influenced by social, political and cultural factors.

Coercive control

An act or a pattern of acts of assault, threats, humiliation and intimidation or other abuse that is used to harm, punish or frighten their victim.

Restraining order

Court issued legal document that prohibits someone from contacting, approaching, or harming another person and their family, often used in cases of domestic violence, stalking, harassment, or abuse to provide immediate safety and legal recourse, with violations leading to arrest.

Empowerment

The process of gaining freedom and power to do what you want or to control what happens to you.

Resilience

The ability to recover, adapt, and grow from adversity, trauma, stress, or significant challenges, involving mental, emotional, and behavioral flexibility to “bounce back” to a healthy state or even grow stronger.

State Domestic Violence Coalition

A non-profit, statewide membership organization that supports local domestic violence service providers, advocates for policy change, provides training, and serves as a central resource for ending abuse, ensuring survivors get needed services and working on prevention through public awareness and collaboration with various entities.

Recidivism

The tendency of a convicted criminal to reoffend

Transformative justice

A practice that responds to violence and harm by addressing its root causes, rather than relying on the state-based criminal justice system

Retributive justice

A theory of punishment focused on offenders receiving penalties proportionate to their crimes, rooted in the idea that wrong doers deserve punishment.