Crimes involving domestic violence include both, “… felony or misdemeanor crimes committed by a current or former spouse or intimate partner of the victim, by a person with whom the victim shares a child in common, by a person who is cohabitating with or has cohabitated with the victim as a spouse or intimate partner, by a person similarly situated to a spouse of the victim under the domestic or family violence laws of the jurisdiction receiving grant monies, or by any other person against an adult or youth victim who is protected from that person’s acts under the domestic or family violence laws of the jurisdiction.” (Department of Justice, 2020)

To prosecute these offenses, many prosecutors’ offices have specially trained staff to address the unique challenges raised in prosecuting domestic violence cases such as property disputes, child support and custody issues.

Notwithstanding the existence of special units within law enforcement and prosecutors’ offices, there is debate among advocates of domestic violence survivors as to whether the response from government is sufficient to address the complexities of these cases.

In the attached article, Redefining the State’s Response to Domestic Violence: Past Victories and Future Challenges, Prof. Epstein suggests that crucial challenges exist in the state’s response to domestic violence cases. Specifically, “…efforts to increase state responsiveness resulted in an “overcriminalization” of domestic violence, with an almost automatic initiation of criminal prosecution occurring regardless of the needs and desires of the victim and her family?” (Epstein, 1999).