Focusing on focused deterrence
Improving our ‘best efforts’: Focusing on focused deterrence Dr Brian Sullivan, Senior Lecturer
Queensland Centre for Domestic and Family Violence Research, CQUniversity
If this strategy [focused deterrence] can be replicated in other cities with the same outcomes, this can be a signal moment for how we give intimate partner violence ‘our best efforts’ Chief of Police, M. A. Sumner from the High Point (North Carolina) Police Department
Background Intimate partner homicide, femicide, the killing of women by their intimate (or former) partners – all terms that speak to the grave social, criminal justice, public health, and human rights problem in our society. With the recent spate of horrific domestic violence murders of women and children across Queensland and beyond, I keep asking myself the question: as a state, as a nation, is our systemic domestic violence intervention the best we can do to keep women and children safe and to hold perpetrators accountable? While there have been significant investments in recent years, I believe there exists an opportunity to do more and do better. Otherwise, I fear, being a woman, or child, in Australia will continue to be an extremely dangerous identity to have, and lethal violence and abuse will have won.
21 . QCDFVRe@der, Autumn 2020
As is my usual dynamic, I have more questions than answers, and I do not apologise for that. However, if we are to develop the right responses it is critical to ask the right questions. I argue that we need to be careful of the questions we ask because there are underlying assumptions, beliefs, and mindsets from which these questions emerge that are ultimately not helpful in ending violence and abuse. There are many ‘wrong’ questions, questions that fail to create accountability, especially of dangerous male perpetrators, and ultimately compromise the safety of women and children. Some of these ‘wrong’ questions are: •
What about the men, aren’t they victims too?
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Aren’t women just as violent as men?
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Why does she stay with him - why doesn’t she just leave?
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Hasn’t his mental health or alcoholism or drug addiction (or many other excuses) caused this?
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Has she provoked him and pushed him to the brink?
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Aren’t men’s behaviour change programs supposed to change violent men?
