ABSTRACT
To say that the justice system is not meeting all victims’ needs would be an accurate statement. Indeed, some might argue that the primary focus of the criminal justice system is not oriented toward helping victims. Broadly stated, criminal justice involvement in family violence cases is designed to (1) deter future misconduct of the offender and other potential batterers, (2) protect the victim and society, (3) hold the offender accountable, (4) treat the offender, and (5) offer restitution to the victim (Formby, 1992; Heisler, 1991; Heisler and Quinn, 1995). As will be shown in the next three chapters, criminal justice involvement sometimes contributes to increased family violence, does not always protect the victim, may not hold the offender accountable or offer adequate treatment to the offender, and does not provide acceptable restitution to the victim.
