Prelims

Half Title Page

Gendered Justice?

Series Page

Feminist Developments in Violence and Abuse

Series Editors: Dr Hannah Bows, Durham University (UK) and Professor Nicole Westmarland, Durham University (UK)

Feminist Developments in Violence and Abuse provides a feminist forum for academic work that pushes forward existing knowledge around violence and abuse, informing policy and practice, with the overarching objective of contributing towards ending violence and abuse within our society. The series enables academics, practitioners, policymakers, and professionals to continually build and explore their understanding of the dynamics, from the micro to the macro level, that are driving violence and abuse. The study of abuse and violence has a large scope for co-producing research, and this series is a home for research involving a broad range of stakeholders; particularly those working in grassroots domestic and sexual violence organisations, police, prosecutors, lawyers, campaign groups, and housing and victim services. As violence and abuse research reaches across disciplinary boundaries, the series has an interdisciplinary scope with research impact at the heart.

Available Volumes:

• Victims’ Experiences of the Criminal Justice Response to Domestic Abuse: Beyond GlassWalls

  Emma Forbes

• Understanding and Responding to Economic Abuse

  Nicola Sharp-Jeffs

• Rape Myths: Understanding, Assessing, and Preventing

  Sofia Persson and Katie Dhingra

Forthcoming Volumes:

• ‘Rough Sex’ and the Criminal Law: Global Perspectives

  Hannah Bows and Jonathan Herring

• Not Your Usual Suspect: Older Offenders of Violence and Abuse

  Hannah Bows

Title Page

Gendered Justice? How Women's Attempts to Cope With, Survive, or Escape Domestic Abuse Can Drive Them into Crime

BY

JO ROBERTS

University of South Wales, UK

United Kingdom – North America – Japan India – Malaysia – China

Copyright Page

Emerald Publishing Limited

Howard House, Wagon Lane, Bingley BD16 1WA, UK

First edition 2022

Copyright © 2022 Jo Roberts.

Published under exclusive licence by Emerald Publishing Limited.

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Contact: permissions@emeraldinsight.com

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without either the prior written permission of the publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying issued in the UK by The Copyright Licensing Agency and in the USA by The Copyright Clearance Center. Any opinions expressed in the chapters are those of the authors. Whilst Emerald makes every effort to ensure the quality and accuracy of its content, Emerald makes no representation implied or otherwise, as to the chapters’ suitability and application and disclaims any warranties, express or implied, to their use.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-80262-070-2 (Print)

ISBN: 978-1-80262-069-6 (Online)

ISBN: 978-1-80262-071-9 (Epub)

Contents

About the Author

Dr Jo Roberts is a Lecturer in Criminology and Criminal Justice whose research interests include violence against women and girls (specifically domestic abuse), and women’s pathways into the criminal justice system. She has worked in the fields of domestic abuse prevention and women’s offending for the last 15 years, within both research and policy-based roles. This experience has fuelled her desire to conduct research which draws upon women’s own words and experiences, amplifies women’s voices, has real-world implications and, as a result, helps inform criminal justice policy and practice.

Acknowledgements

This book is dedicated to the brave and selfless women who shared their stories with me and afforded me the privilege of listening to them. It should be recognised that their recollection of often extremely traumatic experiences would have taken both honesty and strength. Importantly it is the women’s perspectives and their own words which provide the foundations for the book and without their involvement neither the research nor this book would have been possible.

I am grateful for the support and encouragement I received from the Wales Probation Trust and in particular for those members of staff that, despite their already overwhelming workloads, generously gave their time and input without which the fieldwork would not have been possible. Many of the staff that took part in, or otherwise supported, the study had themselves been subjected to domestic abuse and therefore understood the importance of the research on a deeply personal level. The experiences of the staff members reflect the wide reach of domestic abuse where women of all ages, classes, ethnicities, and backgrounds can be affected, emphasising the need for everyone to work together to eradicate all forms of violence against women.

I am also forever indebted to the Department of Criminology at the University of Leicester who saw the potential both in me and my ideas. I couldn’t be more grateful for the funding I was awarded as I would not have been able to undertake my doctoral studies if it weren’t for this financial support. I would also like to personally thank my supervisor, Dr Sarah Hodgkinson, by acknowledging the unrelenting support and insight that she provided throughout my studies and has continued to do so long after.

My sister deserves special mention with an understanding that words cannot do justice to her unwavering support, motivation, and always helpful contributions. The belief she has shown in me has never relented even when I had none.

The accounts included within this book are the reflections of women’s real-life experiences and lives and their recollections add further gravity to the sentiment that the personal is political. The feminist approach of the study was pivotal as it reinforces the unremitting importance of raising women’s voices and always attempting to impact upon the real word ensuring that women’s experiences are acknowledged and addressed both within policy and practice.