Domestic Violence Enforcement

Domestic Violence Enforcement

In line with Rachel A. Kessler

about Domestic Violence Enforcement in the Encyclopedia of Law Enforcement:

Until the early 20th century, what we currently describe as domestic violence was not considered a crime. Before the modern era, women were considered the property of their husbands. Although there are few records of spousal abuse during this time period, the prevailing views on the status of women most likely point not to a lack of abuse, but rather a societal acceptance of the practice, especially by husbands against their wives. Eventually, all states created criminal or penal codes criminalizing violent crimes (there is more information about criminal law in the American Legal Encyclopedia and about crimes and criminals vocabulary), which had previously been enforced by the “common law,” handed down by judges. On their face, these statutes neither included nor exempted the cases where the victim of the violent crime was the spouse or intimate partner of the perpetrator.