Understanding the etiology of domestic violence

Abstract

This dissertation focuses on the etiology of domestic violence by looking at the risk factors associated with domestic violence offenders. It also gives a definition of domestic violence and the different forms of domestic violence. Furthermore, explores how the criminal justice system responds to domestic violence by providing an overview of the interventions that are available to offenders. The study adopts a qualitative approach as interviews are held with professionals in order to gather data. Data is also obtained by conducting a detailed literature review. Four themes were identified from the data that was collected. These themes are; Types of domestic violence, Risk factors, Male vs Female Offenders and Interventions. A discussion is presented by compiling the findings gathered from the interviews and literature. The study shows that there tends to be a correlation between domestic violence offenders and substance use, childhood exposure to violence, culture and personality disorders. The study also highlights that female offenders differ from male offenders as they tend to make use of different forms of abuse and that they have different motivations for their use of domestic violence. Findings from this study continued to emphasize the importance of having interventions that address the various needs of the offender especially when it comes to mental health issues and addiction. It is very clear that ‘‘one size fits all’’ approaches do not work well. The results also explain that that reoffending rates are quite high as interventions are highly dependent on one’s willingness to change their behavior. The study concludes by addressing its limitations and by making recommendations for future research and practice.