Sparing the Abusers

True story, from Insult to Injury: A man beats and rapes his wife; later, he holds a loaded gun to her head in front of her small children. His guilt is indisputable. Total punishment: six months of incarceration, followed by a term of probation. Now, complete the following statement. “The six months of incarceration was a travesty because …” (a) “the sentence was absurdly short; serious crimes require serious punishment” or (b) “the sentence was absurdly long; the victim wanted counseling for the offender, not punishment, so incarceration was unduly harsh.”

Did you choose (a)? Linda Mills, a professor of social work at New York University, says (b). Her book, Insult to Injury, rejects the mandatory-arrest-and-prosecution policies for domestic violence that now apply in nearly every jurisdiction in the United States. Under the regime that Mills proposes, men who torment their spouses and domestic partners can elude real punishment almost indefinitely, as victims will have the power to help them avoid arrest and prosecution.

CK

About the Author

C. Douglas Kern

True story, from Insult to Injury: A man beats and rapes his wife; later, he holds a loaded gun to her head in front of her small children. His guilt is indisputable. Total punishment: six months of incarceration, followed by a term of probation. Now, complete the following statement. “The six months of incarceration was a travesty because …” (a) “the sentence was absurdly short; serious crimes require serious punishment” or (b) “the sentence was absurdly long; the victim wanted counseling for the offender, not punishment, so incarceration was unduly harsh.”

Did you choose (a)? Linda Mills, a professor of social work at New York University, says (b). Her book, Insult to Injury, rejects the mandatory-arrest-and-prosecution policies for domestic violence that now apply in nearly every jurisdiction in the United States. Under the regime that Mills proposes, men who torment their spouses and domestic partners can elude real punishment almost indefinitely, as victims will have the power to help them avoid arrest and prosecution.