When Will They Ever Learn. Educating to End Domestic Violence. A Law SchoolReport

摘要

Domestic violence is a societal problem of epidemic proportions. Experts estimatethat 2 to 4 million American women are battered every year, and that between 3.3 and 10 million children witness violence in their homes. Battering affects families across America in all socioeconomic, racial and ethnic groups. As information about the extent and impact of domestic violence emerges, it has been identified as a criminal justice issue, a public health crisis, and a costly drain on economic productivity. Domestic violence has a tremendous impact on the legal profession. Whether or not lawyers realize it, domestic violence permeates the practice of law in almost every field. Corporate lawyers, bankruptcy lawyers, tort lawyers, real property lawyers, criminal defense lawyers, and family lawyers, regularly represent victims or perpetrators of domestic violence. Criminal and civil judges preside over a range of cases involving domestic violence as an underlying or a hotly contested issue. Failure to fully understand domestic violence legal issues threatens the competency of individual lawyers and judges, as well as the legal profession as a whole.