ABSTRACT
In our country, domestic and physical abuse are misdemeanor offenses. We have not learned from history; that is, if we as a society consider physical violence as a minor infraction, then we are in a sense directly and indirectly condoning and supporting it. In Minnesota, it is a felony to fondle the breast or buttocks of a nonconsenting person over the clothing. I believe the victim of fondling can suffer significant trauma from being touched; however, physical violence continues to be a misdemeanor, while fondling is a felony. Lawmakers and lobbyists need to change the domestic violence laws to equal the sexual offense laws. Domestic and physical abuse are the major contributors to the decay of the family unit and, as a result, a decay of the American society as a whole. So, we do develop laws that would make physical and domestic abuse felonies, but we will still be stuck without developing a more thorough understanding of psychological force/abuse. There are several steps involved in adequately addressing and identifying the issues of psychological force used in domestic and sexual assaults.
