Domestic violence: The facts, the issues, the future

Abstract

This paper initially describes the organisation of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), then deals with the volume of work undertaken by the CPS, before focusing on domestic violence. Although criminal, it is only in the last decade that domestic violence has been taken seriously as a criminal justice issue, with many offences being previously brushed under the carpet as a so-called ‘domestic’. Statistics of the effects of domestic abuse on children are provided. Sexual assault often accompanies domestic violence, which can also end in death. It is still thought that a large number of domestic violence offences are not reported to the police. Stalking is a related problem. While there have been important steps forward, and the criminal justice system is working hard to address this issue, more still needs to be done. Some ongoing issues include the willingness of victims to attend court and the pressure they might come under to retract statements. However, new and more successful methods of gathering evidence are cited in Norfolk and Suffolk, where prosecutions are now well above the national average.

Keywords:

• Director of Public Prosecutions
• prosecuting authority
• Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)
• domestic violence