Bücher der Reihe Feminist Developments in Violence and Abuse

An important contribution to the criminological, gerontological, feminist and elder abuse fields, Not Your Usual Suspect expands existing research to consider the behaviour and drivers of older offenders, addressing the increasingly important issue of how the needs of this group can be addressed by policy and practice.

Despite being recognised by victim-survivors as a tactic used by abusers, economic abuse has received little attention in research, policy, or practice. Written by an internationally recognised expert on economic abuse, this powerful book provides a crucial validation of the lived experience of victim-survivors, and highlights the urgent need to develop effective responses to the issue.Breaking fresh ground, Understanding and Responding to Economic Abuse exposes the many ways in which abusers seek to control their intimate partners through economic resources and reinforces the importance of holding abusers accountable for their behaviour. Whilst the focus of this book is on Westminster policy in the UK, the author highlights how the case for 'naming' and defining economic abuse in statute has wider resonance. Making a trailblazing case for recognising this form of abuse, Sharp-Jeffs argues the case to expand the coordinated community response model to domestic abuse to address economic control through involving 'non-traditional' stakeholders such as money/debt advice organisations and the financial services sector, alongside specialist domestic abuse services and statutory agencies. Coming in the wake of the Domestic Abuse Act (2021), which broadened discourse from financial to economic abuse, Sharp-Jeffs turns our attention to this critical momentum for change and makes an important step towards shining a light on a form of coercive and controlling behaviour which has been invisible for toolong.

Victims' Experiences of The Criminal Justice Response to Domestic Abuse: Beyond GlassWalls provides a unique perspective on how victims of domestic abuse experience the justice process. It tells two stories: first, a socio-legal narrative of the public policy, legislative, academic and social responses across Scotland, England and Wales; and second, the experience of female victim-survivors who report domestic abuse to the police. The apparent sweep of progress on the public stage is juxtaposed with the private struggle of individuals who continue to face barriers to justice.In-depth interviews with women who have experienced domestic abuse and those who support them identify a number of challenges. Moving beyond the arrest, procedural hearings and trial Forbes considers the emotional implications of waiting at home, travelling to court, and the unmet support needs and unanswered questions beyond the so-called conclusions of their case. Beautifully illustrated, this accessible overview uses victim narrative to provide explicit, practical advice for busy practitioners and students alike.

'Rough sex' has been at the forefront of criminal law in recent years following several high-profile murders of women killed during alleged consensual sex 'gone wrong', leading to widespread calls for reform to prevent the use of what has been termed the 'rough sex defence.' Situated in a global context in which violence against women is one of the leading preventable contributors to death and illness for women aged 18-44 worldwide, this timely collection examines the rough sex defence and responds to some of the wider debates around sex and the law.Drawing on a range of empirical and theoretical standpoints, chapters delve into a range of topics including the female experience of 'unwanted' slapping, choking and spitting during sex, the BDSM community, the impacts of pornography, the normalization and sexualization of violence against women, early depictions of BDSM involving the eroticization of non-consensual relations, problematic perceptions of BDSM as inherently violent, and more.Bows and Herring expertly collate a wide-reaching mix of perspectives to contribute to a powerful feminist investigation of this critical issue. It is a compelling read for scholars interested in the intersection of sex, the law, and the criminal justice system.