Invited Symposium II: Decriminalizing Domestic Violence: A Balanced Policy Approach to Intimate Partner Violence

For the last thirty years, the United States has relied on the criminal legal system to respond to intimate partner violence. But that system has been ineffective in deterring violence and has had problematic consequences for people subjected to abuse, people who use violence, and their communities.  Handling intimate partner violence in the criminal legal system has also contributed to the rise of mass incarceration in the United States. This talk will argue for taking a different path.  Rather than continuing to rely on the criminal legal system, the response to intimate partner violence policy should incorporate insights from economic, public health, community, and human rights policies.  Decriminalizing domestic violence—deepmphasizing the criminal legal system’s role in responding to intimate partner violence—will enable the United States to develop a multi-faceted policy approach and could be a first step in rethinking our response to violent crime.