DIVORCE AND THE FAMILY COURT: WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE?

Approximately 50% of couples who have separated report being victims of violence and/or emotional abuse by their former intimate partners. Family courts can make an important contribution toward reducing the number of intimate partners who report being victims of domestic violence and abuse during and following their participation in divorce proceedings in three ways. First, increase opportunities for participation in nonadversarial procedures. Second, implement mandatory assessment/screening for domestic violence using field‐tested instruments that link subscores on sets of items (e.g., control motivated violence, conflict instigated violence/abuse, substance abuse associated violence/abuse) with appropriate community‐based treatments and/or resources. Third, educate family court judges, lawyers, mediators, and other court personnel in the dynamics of domestic violence generally, as well as the dynamics associated with separation/divorce.     

ADOLESCENTS' VIEWS ON THE FAIRNESS OF PARENTING AND FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS AFTER SEPARATION

Interviews were conducted with 60 young people aged 12–19 in Australia, concerning their views about parenting and financial arrangements after separation. Half the young people reported that they had no say at all in where they would live after separation. A quarter said they were never able to see their nonresident parent when they wanted to. There was a strong relationship between young people's perceptions of the fairness of the parenting arrangements and the extent to which they were allowed to participate in making those arrangements. Half said that they did not have enough time with their nonresident parent. Having a continuing and meaningful relationship with both parents and with siblings was very important to them. More than a third favored arrangements of spending equal time with each parent. The young people were also very concerned with issues about fairness between first and second families, both in terms of time availability and financial provisions.     

The Family Court–Based Stepping Stones Model of Triage: Some Concerns About Safety,Process, and Objectives*

This article critically evaluates the recommendation that family court–based mandatory mediation incorporated in a tiered service delivery model be replaced by a mandatory screening process incorporated in a stepping stones triage model in which couples are matched with an appropriate conflict resolution proceeding. My conclusion is that implementation of this recommendation should be made contingent upon the willingness of its advocates to address concerns with the safety, process, and objectives as described herein.

Key Points for the Family Court Community:
• Domestic violence screening should be incorporated in the larger triadic process of screening–risk assessment–risk management.
• A Safety First Rule should be followed in screening couples into or out of conflict resolution proceedings.
• Screening decisions must be grounded in an empirically validated method of matching couples with appropriate conflict resolution proceedings.
• Causal mechanisms must be included as items in any risk assessment instrument used in family courts.

     

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE,DOVE, AND DIVORCE MEDIATION

The primary objective of this article is to describe DOVE, a 19‐item instrument designed to assess and manage the risk of domestic violence between partners during and following their participation in divorce mediation. Assessing risk, more specifically how DOVE can be used to assess risk, is described first. The resulting risk scores (TOTDOVE) are used to assign individuals to risk categories. Problems associated with using categorical, frequency, and probability risk assessment formats in interpreting and communicating risk are discussed in the second segment of the article. A dual, categorical/probability format is advocated. Managing risk using Safety Plan interventions that are linked with risk category and predictor subscores on control, substance abuse, anger, relationship problems, mental health problems, and conflict is covered in the final segment.     

Policing wife-abuse: The contribution made by ‘domestic disturbances’ to deaths and injuries among police officers

This study examines the claim that domestic disturbances account for a disproportionate number of deaths and injury to police officers. The uses to which this claim was put and the shift to arresting wife abusers during the 1980s are described. The crises of hegemony faced by the state during the 1960s is used to explain the widespread implementation of a family crisis intervention program that did nothing to reduce deaths and injuries to police officers or family members. The emergence of the women's movement helps explain the state's shift in emphasis from crisis intervention to arresting wife abusers.