Approximately 12 million people in the United States are affected by domestic violence every year. The challenge arises to disseminate the evolution of understanding of domestic violence. The criminal justice system has come far in finding solutions to reconcile the gendered landscape of domestic violence. With this idea in mind, there are many supporters that have contributed to the evolution of prevention and awareness of the complex problem that exists with domestic violence (McMahon & Pence, 2003).
Ellen Pence started her efforts in activism while in her teens, focusing on the housing, antiwar, civil rights and feminist movements (McDonnell & Pence, 1999). Ellen Pence was a pioneer of her time, providing support to the homeless crisis,…show more content… In 1980, Ellen Pence and a few others developed The Duluth Model. This model’s focus surrounds victim safety, while recognizing the complex need for a collaborative effort within the infrastructure. The other key component is offender accountability. This aspect of the model allows for increasing awareness and knowledge surrounding issues of domestic violence. Ellen recognized the need for involving different agencies within the community that assist in the response to domestic violence cases. In 1981, the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project (DAIP) created a partnership of 9 key community agencies to respond to domestic violence cases. The purpose of this project was to change how the criminal justice system processes cases involving domestic abuse. DAIP recognized another challenge in how there is a culture of individualized styles of practice that lose focus on the entirety of the process. Traditionally the cases are nursed along at a molasses-pace, while also placing the victim in the role of aggressor. Actualized, the processes will focus on victim safety and accountability of the offender. Though the climate of awareness and diversity continues to grow, society historically has…show more content… Lenore assisted in compounding the “learned helplessness” theory (Pence, 2001). Lenore Walker, a psychologist in the United States, studied the behavior of women who stay in violent relationships. She hypothesized that women stay in abusive relationships because constant abuse strips them of the will to leave. The learned helplessness theory, however, did not account for the fact that there are many social, economic and cultural reasons a woman might choose to stay in an abusive relationship. Women often have very rational reasons for staying— fear of retaliation against themselves or the children, or not able to financially support self or children. There is also fear of being ostracized by the family and
