Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Domestic violence frequently manifests as a systematic pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour aimed at disempowering the victim. Gendered expectations are often exploited by the perpetrator to achieve this, and thus broader social... more
Domestic violence frequently manifests as a systematic pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour aimed at disempowering the victim. Gendered expectations are often exploited by the perpetrator to achieve this, and thus broader social and cultural conditions of gender inequality are implicated in much of the commission of domestic violence and abuse. Despite this, the legal system continues to take a gender-neutral approach, with a focus on serious physical violence as evidence of abuse. This creates a ‘hierarchy of harm’ where non-physical aspects of domestic violence are considered less serious and less in need of legal intervention. Charlotte Bishop concludes that the law would be a more effective tool once domestic violence is conceptualised as a gendered crime by the legal system, with a recognition of the deprivation of autonomy as a central harm.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Feminist scholars teaching criminology, criminal justice, and law actively address issues of gendered and intersectional importance as crucial additions to degree programmes. Their inclusive acts illustrate a critical pedagogic approach... more
Feminist scholars teaching criminology, criminal justice, and law actively address issues of gendered and intersectional importance as crucial additions to degree programmes. Their inclusive acts illustrate a critical pedagogic approach to representing a diverse range of identities and experiences which is necessary to affect the kind of transformational learning that may resonate and impact upon graduate justice practitioners. However, the personal and professional impacts involved in seeking to effect positive developments in social and criminal justice often go unnoticed. This article presents empirical research findings exploring criminal justice tutors’ experiences of undertaking transformative teaching using feminist pedagogies. It provides insight into the lived experiences shared by scholars which highlights the affective nature of this work and offers recommendations for others navigating the neoliberal academy.
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This article explores how proposed reforms to the law on intimate image abuse could address situations where intimate images are shared, or threats to share are made, in a relationship where there is domestic violence and abuse (DVA). In... more
This article explores how proposed reforms to the law on intimate image abuse could address situations where intimate images are shared, or threats to share are made, in a relationship where there is domestic violence and abuse (DVA). In exploring the purposes and motivations behind the use of non-consensual intimate images in this context, the harmful impact is demonstrated to be the denial of autonomy and personhood that ‘entraps’ the victim in the relationship. It is essential that this harm, and the underlying motivations of those who use intimate image abuse for this purpose, is made visible under any relevant legislation to ensure that the criminal law effectively condemns and remedies conduct of this kind. It is for this reason that the article concludes that the Law Commission, in its 2021 consultation, was right to consider introducing an offence of ‘intentionally taking or sharing an intimate image without consent with the intent to control or coerce the person depicted’. ...
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This article reviews the criminal law in England and Wales to determine its ability to criminalise coercive and controlling behaviour used in many cases of domestic violence.
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Research Interests:
Research Interests:
In 2015 an offence of ‘controlling or coercive behaviour’ was introduced under the Serious Crime Act, criminalising for the first time the non-physical abuse which so often occurs in the domestic context. This new offence implicitly... more
In 2015 an offence of ‘controlling or coercive behaviour’ was introduced under the Serious Crime Act, criminalising for the first time the non-physical abuse which so often occurs in the domestic context. This new offence implicitly recognises the psychological and emotional harm which can result from an ongoing pattern of behaviour, and the need to consider the controlling or coercive nature of this behaviour in the context of the power dynamics of the relationship in question. Unique evidential difficulties are raised by this offence, in part because of the ways in which gendered expectations can disguise the controlling and coercive nature of certain behaviours. At the same time, to increase the number of prosecutions for domestic violence offences, including under the new offence, acknowledgement of the ongoing trauma often experienced by victims, and the ways in which this may hinder their ability to safely and effectively participate in the criminal justice process, is require...
Research Interests: Psychology and Law
Domestic violence frequently manifests as a systematic pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour aimed at disempowering the victim. Gendered expectations are often exploited by the perpetrator to achieve this, and thus broader social... more
Domestic violence frequently manifests as a systematic pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour aimed at disempowering the victim. Gendered expectations are often exploited by the perpetrator to achieve this, and thus broader social and cultural conditions of gender inequality are implicated in much of the commission of domestic violence and abuse. Despite this, the legal system continues to take a gender-neutral approach, with a focus on serious physical violence as evidence of abuse. This creates a ‘hierarchy of harm’ where non-physical aspects of domestic violence are considered less serious and less in need of legal intervention. Charlotte Bishop concludes that the law would be a more effective tool once domestic violence is conceptualised as a gendered crime by the legal system, with a recognition of the deprivation of autonomy as a central harm.