Running head: ABUSE PAPER

Abuse Paper
Amber McKenna
BSHS/407
April 25, 2016
Katisha Everett

ABUSE PAPER

Abuse Paper
This paper will discuss issues that are associated with intimate partner abuse, how
these issues have changed in recent times, the role the criminal justice system plays in protecting
abuse toward partners, the reason elder abuse exists, and the extent of abuse, types, and theories
associated with elder abuse. Also types of victimization special populations experience in society
intimate partner abuse and how specific populations are mistreated. All these questions will be
answered within the paper.
Intimate partner abuse is also known as IPV (Intimate Partner Violence). Some of the
issues associated with intimate partner abuse are physical violence, sexual violence, stalking, and
psychological aggression by a current or former intimate partner (Center for Disease Control
and Prevention, 2015). These are just some issues; the four main issues are listed. The four main
types of IPV are physical violence, sexual violence, stalking, and psychological aggression.
Sexual abuse is divided into five categories. When they are divided into the five different
categories they are listed as Rape or penetration of victim completed or attempted, forced
unwanted vaginal, oral, or anal insertion. Victim was made to penetrate someone else forced
incidents where the victim was made to penetrate the perpetrator or someone else without the
victims consent. Non-physically pressured unwanted penetration the victim was pressured
verbally or by the misuse of authority to consent to being penetrated. Unwanted sexual contact
intentional touching of the victim or making the victim touch the perpetrator, on the genitalia,
anus, groin, breast, inner thigh, or buttocks without the victims consent. Non-contact unwanted
sexual experiences-unwanted sexual events that are not of a physical nature that occur without
the victims consent. Along with the issues listed above are many risk factors that may lead to
IPV. Some of the risk factors can start as early as childhood or adolescence. The ways these
issues have changed in recent years are that certain types of abuse/violence that were allowed in
earlier times, are no longer allowed and laws have changed. Another change that seems to be
prevalent is that IPV doesnt just happen to women now days, it also happens to men. IPV is still
a huge thing that happens to 1 out of 3 women. Other changes that seem to be is it seems to be
more common and accrues more now than in recent times.
Historically, wife beating became illegal in all states by the 1920s, but police and
prosecutors have always viewed battering as a family problem. By the 1970's that the criminal
justice system began to treat domestic violence like other assaults. By the 1980's, prosecutors in
some jurisdictions had initiated special programs for domestic violence cases. (McGuire, 1999).
Prior to 1984, police officers were instructed to advise the husband or boyfriend to take a walk
around the block instead of arresting them (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015).
In that same year, laws were passed that an arrest had to be made as long as there was probable
cause to show that the abuse happen. Now days police, prosecutors, and judges are being trained
in domestic violence, and aggressive interventions are being implemented. Prosecutors are
motivated to prosecute woman battering for different reasons. Views of IPV have changed in

ABUSE PAPER

society and the criminal justice system; such as it is not just women being abused but also men.
Each case of IPV is treated differently by the criminal justice system. Special laws have been
developed throughout the country in attempt to correctly respond to criminal IPV so the Role of
the justice system is always moving forward in bettering what they can do to help try and protect
the victims better.
Elder abuse is conduct that results in the physical, psychological, or material neglect,
harm, or injury to an elder (Wallace & Roberson, 2014). Some reasons elder abuse exists is,
because the elderly is scared to say anything about it happening or they are not able to tell
anyone. The elderly person may have an illness or medical condition that cause them to not be
able to speak. They may also be scared that no one will believe if they do tell, or that the abuser
may hurt them worse. There are many factors that contribute to elderly abuse and many different
types of elder abuse as well. Types of elder abuse are physical, psychological, material, and
neglect (active or passive). These types of abuse are the main ones reported to APS (Adult
Protective Services). Different signs of Physical Abuse include bruising, burns, lacerations,
fractures, or signs of forced sexual activity. Signs of Psychological Abuse are depression, overly
anxious, or neurotic traits. Signs of Material Abuse are lack of food, clothing, funds, and loss of
personal items. Signs of neglect are failure to care for elderly person and misuse of medications.
Although, all the signs of the different types of Elder abuse may not be easily seen by the
average person, it is important to check into any suspicion or report of elder abuse. Elderly
people are a lot like children, and are not always able to talk or report abuse. Elder abuse is a
serious problem that can have harmful effects on victims. The goal for elder abuse prevention is
to stop it from happening in the first place. However, solutions for elder abuse are as complex as
the problem. Concern for elder abuse as a criminal issue is a fairly recent development, there are
gaps in the knowledge about the extent and causes of such abuse. The different theories of elder
abuse are intergenerational transmission of violence theory, psychopathology theory, social
exchange theory, family stress theory, and neutralization theory. Although there are many
theories as to why elder abuse happens, there is no definite reason or theory as to the real reason
elder abuse takes place so often.
The field lacks an adequate guiding theory to explain the range of causes behind elder
abuse and Promote systematic data collection. Certain populations or groups may be targeted by
criminals because of their membership in a group (such as a religion) or because of the victim's
characteristics, such as age or race. NIJ supports projects to understand and mitigate the causes
and effects of crimes against specific populations. Such projects include those to estimate the
prevalence of various crimes, understand offender motivation, guarantee victims' rights, and
evaluate promising practices for reducing the incidence of these crimes. NIJ-supported projects
also aim to understand and improve the criminal justice system's response to crimes against
specific populations. ("Specific Populations as Victims",2011).

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Intimate partner abuse and elder abuse have become a more common issue than in past
years. Elder abuse often goes unspoken about, due to the victims being scared or unable to speak
to report it to the law. These two issues are going to be difficult to stop or get control of, because
some victims in both elder and intimate partner abuse are not speaking out. These victims are
also not getting the proper help that is needed to keep them safe. Knowing all the factors and
information about these crimes will better help professionals to recognize when it is happening.
Some of the factors that were listed seem like they could be everyday occurrences, and never
thought of as abuse, but they were considered to be part of the abuse issues.

Reference:
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015). Injury prevention and control:
Intimate Partner Abuse. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov
McGuire, L. (1999). Criminal Prosecution of Domestic Violence. Retrieved from
http://www.mincava.umn.edu/documents/bwjp/prosecutev/prosecutev.html
Specific Populations as Victims. (2011). Retrieved from
http://www.nij.gov/topics/victims-victimization/Pages/specific-populations.aspx
Wallace, H., & Roberson, C. (2014). Family violence: Legal, medical, and social
perspectives (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.