This article provides an overview of restorative justice as a process and examines its relevance to women who have been victimized by physical and sexual abuse. The starting point is the justice system with its roots in adversarial, offender-oriented practices of obtaining justice. The widespread dissatisfaction by battered women and rape victims…

Although most social work professionals may expect that women who experience partner violence will sustain acute physical injuries, social workers may be less knowledgeable about the chronic health problems with which violence survivors often struggle. To inform social work practice, we reviewed and synthesized the recently published research on…

Presents case report of two children who observed their mother being murdered by their father. Notes that theories of psychosocial development and social learning guided assessment and intervention phases. Delineates behavioral and expressive therapeutic treatment strategies that helped children work through resultant anxiety and underlying grief.…

Conflict and violence in the workplace have emerged as a real but inadequately explored concern in the social work profession. The present study surveyed a national random sample of 1,029 NASW members about their experiences with client violence and with physical and psychological assault in relationship to practice setting, age, gender, and…

Explores the manifestations and consequences of community violence in the lives of children and youth. Presents an assessment framework with which social workers may examine the impact of community violence in the lives of their young clients at risk and discusses psychosocial sequelae for young people exposed to community violence. (RJM)

Describes findings on the use of police services by 300 women residing in a shelter, specifically those relating to victim-abuser characteristics, variables that significantly correlate with the victims' contacting the police, and general patterns of police service use by spousal abuse victims. Draws practice implications for police, social…

Presents a model for a sexual assault survivors' group (SASG), which posits that the aftermath of the sexual assualt can be resolved. Describes issues for leaders, selection of members, setting, format and themes, and group development issues such as bonding, establishing closeness, and letting-go. (LLL)

Uses feminist perspective and problem of wife abuse to illustrate how ideology affects social policy and direct practice models. Warns that society and social work seek to address problem by developing programs to treat victims rather than abusers. Suggests that social work recommit itself to model that focuses on person-in-environment to avoid…

Notes that spouse-abuse families may have service needs that span fields of medical, legal, and social services; law enforcement; and employment. Provides brief overview of multiple service needs of spouse-abuse families and describes framework for developing, organizing, and implementing community-based spouse abuse protection and family…

Examined the nature and scope of victimization as experienced by individuals with mental illness; and what demographic and clinical characteristics played in influencing the risk among this group. Results indicate social workers should assess for experiences of victimization and better understand the effect of such experiences on individual's…

Surveyed students (n=631) from rural, suburban, and inner-city high schools regarding sexual, physical, and verbal dating violence. Proportion of females reporting sexual violence was 15.5%; proportion reporting physical violence was same. Proportion of males reporting violence was lower. Significant correlates of violence included dating…

Most gang membership research studies males; few examine the etiology of female gang membership. Presents themes of female gang membership gathered from interviews with 15 young women. Examines demographic material, family structure, initiation rites, and criminal behaviors. Explores implications for social work practice and research. (FC)

Examines transnational legal interventions instituted in response to intimate violence and assesses propriety of the criminal model. Using postmodern social work theory and practice, article promotes the idea of a more workable alternative response--a domestic violence commission that gives more power to battered women. (FC)