Citation

Gauthier S. Violence Against Women 2010; 16(12): 1375-1395.

Affiliation

Université de Montréal, Quebec, Canada. sonia.gauthier@umontreal.ca.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1077801210389163

PMID

21164215

Abstract

Many domestic violence cases do not go to trial because the victim refuses to testify. This article presents a qualitative study exploring the dismissal of criminal charges in domestic violence cases. The 22 judicial and psychosocial professionals interviewed in Montreal, Canada, discussed various consequences of the legal decision to dismiss the charges on victims, perpetrators, justice system professionals, and society as a whole. Respondents clearly did not view the withdrawal of charges as a failure of the criminalization of domestic violence.

Language: en