미국의 여성폭력방지법 시행의 영향 및 효과에 관한 연구

A Study on the Impacts and Effectiveness of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) in the United States

The purpose of this study is to explore the meaning of the Violence Against Woment Act (VAWA) and its impacts and effectiveness on criminal justice system and academic arena in the United States. The Violence Against Women Act was signed into law in 1994 as a federal response to violent crimes against women. VAWA unequivocally crimina-l ized acts of domestic violence and violations of protective orders for women, irrespective of their personal circumstances or geographical situation. It also sought to strengthen criminal justice responses to all violent crimes against women. VAWA allocated 1.6 billion dollars to protect women from criminal violence, including a research to evaluate what works or to conduct research relevant to new preventive strategies. The Violence Against Women Act of 1994 brought about considerable changes in the criminal justice system. First, it is found that the police arrests might have a deterrent effect on domestic violence, particularly the reduction and prevention of violence against women. Second, the effects of mandatory prosecution and no-drop policies remain to be seen, although some researchers assert that mandatory prosecution and no-drop policies would substantially decrease violent crimes against women. With regard to courts, third, issuing protective orders is the most common judicial action intended to protect women from violence. Available evidence suggests that protective orders have limited value as a means of preventing violence against a woman petitioner. Fourth, there are strong evidences that the likelihood of rearrest was lowest when offenders experienced both jail and probation, and the jail-probation sentence was the most effective in reducing the chance of rearrest for those offenders. Finally, it is suggested that coordinated efforts between criminal justice agencies might be the most effective ways to function as a system of intervention, which would contribute to protect women from violence.