Secondary Victimization of Abused Mothers by Family Court Mediators

Citation:

Rivera EA, Sullivan CM, Zeoli AM. Secondary Victimization of Abused Mothers by Family Court Mediators. Feminist Criminology . 2012;7 (3) :234-252.

Abstract:

http://fcx.sagepub.com/content/7/3/234

*The full article is available through this link. This article may be available free of charge to those with university credentials.

Family court often assists divorcing parties in establishing custody arrangements. Mediation is commonly used for custody negotiation; however, its applicability for cases involving intimate partner abuse (IPA) is debated. This study was designed to gain an in-depth understanding of abused mothers’ court mediation experiences and how those experiences impact future court help-seeking when the fathers of their children have been abusive to them. Most women experienced secondary victimization during mediation, which had a negative impact on their willingness to use the court in the future. Policy recommendations include screening for IPA, providing separate mediation sessions, and improving court mediators’ training.

Publisher's Version

Last updated on 11/15/2015