Abuse

Abuse

Abuse

           Abuse can be experienced by anyone, including children, the elderly, and the disabled. Abuse occurs worldwide, whether it be hidden in the eyes of the public or in public places. To prevent abuse from becoming a normal trend in society, there are school organizations and groups that fight hard in educating people about the signs of abuse. Despite their efforts, there are still people who see the signs of abuse and ignore them. Some people do not understand the severity of abuse and long lasting impacts that is has on the victims.

Partner abuse occurs when there is abusive behavior within an intimate relationship. Intimate partner abuse can happen between heterosexual and homosexual relationships, as well as between those who are no longer in a relationship. Oftentimes, a single offense becomes repetitive (Wallace & Roberson, 2014). There are many issues that can be associated with intimate partner abuse, such as fear of reporting, physical and emotional damage, and even death, to name a few. Over time, the death rates from intimate partner abuse have climbed very high. “On average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. During one year, this equates to more than 10 million women and men” (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, n.d.).

It is the responsibility of the criminal justice system to make sure that no one becomes prey to intimate partner abuse or to any abuse of any type. In the United States alone, intimate partner abuse is one of the most common problems that is currently being reported (Wallace & Roberson, 2014). “72% of all murder-suicides involve an intimate partner; 94% of the victims of these murder suicides are female” (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, n.d.). While workers within the criminal justice system cannot always prevent abuse towards partners, there are ways that the criminal justice system workers can attempt to curb violence and bring awareness to those in their communities in hopes of reducing the amount of intimate partner violence that occurs. It is common for someone who is abused to go back to their abuser, which makes it much harder for the criminal justice workers to prevent a repeat of the previous actions. Even when restraining orders are in place, they are often broken by both parties that were involved in the domestic violence, including the victim. The criminal justice workers have a way to at least separate the couple if they find that they are breaking the restraining order, which is by placing both parties under arrest. However, this is not a serious charge as of now, so the parties will be released from jail fast and will likely continue the interaction. Many abuse victims request to drop the restraining order in order to be able to reconnect with their abuser. This is where the criminal justice workers must take every new report serious. When there has been previous listed violence within a home, a well check can be requested randomly to ensure that the victim is safe. There are also other measures that can be taken, such as making sure each report taken is listed as the proper number, such as the third offense, in order for the abuser to receive the proper punishment. Victim advocates play a very important role in assisting abuse victims in attending court hearings, finding safe places to stay, and ensuring that the victim receives proper aftercare, such as therapy and medical care. Victim advocates often attend court hearings for the victim and file all paperwork needed for each type of hearing needed such as the arrest of the abuser and the request for a restraining order.