ABSTRACT
Male-to-female violence against rural women is a worldwide problem. The main objective of this chapter is to answer the question: What is to be done? The progressive policies and practices suggested here are key elements of much-needed community-based, collaborative efforts. The solutions recommended, too, are highly sensitive to the ways in which broader social forces contribute to male violence against women. The approach taken in this chapter moves most of the discussion of crime control and prevention out of the realm of criminal justice and into that of social and economic policy. Still, some legal reforms such as stricter gun control are addressed, but it must be emphasised that the criminal justice system alone cannot prevent the harms covered in this chapter. Some concrete examples of policies are examined, and the chapter is accompanied by a perspective from a long-serving police officer in West Virginia who considers the challenges of policing violence against women in rural communities.
