Getting Away with Murder: Weapons for the War Against Domestic Violence

The analysis of domestic violence by lawyer Felder (The Lawyers' Guide to Equitable Distribution) and freelancer Victor (Friends, Lovers, Enemies) discusses why little is being done to improve the situation. The question ""Why didn't she leave?"" blames the victim, they assert. They show how the battered woman is also victimized by police, therapists who urge joint counseling and even the law itself, which makes a distinction between a man who beats a stranger on the street and one who beats his wife at home. Given male and female archetypes in our society, every man is a potential batterer, maintain the authors as they examine the meager attempts by local government agencies to curb domestic violence. They argue that more can be brought to bear to end what the AMA describes as ""America's dirty little secret""-imprisonment, for example-but what the authors prefer to label ""America's tacit little agreement."" (Mar.)