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Full-Text Articles in Family Law
The Perils Of Empowerment, Jane H. Aiken, Katherine Goldwasser
The Perils Of Empowerment, Jane H. Aiken, Katherine Goldwasser
Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works
This Article examines bystander norms of disinterest and blame that inform and undermine strategies for dealing with significant social problems such as domestic violence. Current strategies rely on individual “empowerment” to reduce such violence. These strategies reflect fundamental misconceptions and false assumptions about the nature of domestic violence, about why this sort of violence persists so stubbornly, and, ultimately, about what it takes to change behavior that has long been tolerated, if not actually fostered, as a result of deeply imbedded social and cultural norms. The net effect is that far from empowering abused women, let alone reaching the norms …
Evidence Issues In Domestic Violence Civil Cases, Jane H. Aiken, Jane C. Murphy
Evidence Issues In Domestic Violence Civil Cases, Jane H. Aiken, Jane C. Murphy
Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works
This article is intended to assist practitioners in anticipating and responding to some of the evidentiary challenges in civil cases in which relief is sought for the victims of domestic violence. First, expert testimony is often necessary to dispel common myths about battered women and to educate judges and juries about the dynamics of domestic violence. Recent case law, however, has limited the admissibility of "non-scientific" expert testimony and may make it difficult for practitioners to use experts in their cases. In addition, particular evidentiary issues arise when victims are pursuing both criminal and civil remedies against the batterer. This …