Criminology Seminar Series - Survived and Punished: Arrest and Conviction of Survivors of Domestic Violence
When:
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Venue:
Birkbeck Main Building, Malet Street
Survived and Punished: Arrest and Conviction of Survivors of Domestic Violence
Speaker: Dr. Aviah Day (Birkbeck)
This seminar will address survivor criminalisation, an emerging theme from the research project Partnership and Power: Domestic Violence, the Women's Sector, and the Criminal Justice System. The study employed the innovative approach of Intersectionality Based Policy Analysis (IBPA) to explore how the women’s sector and the criminal justice system work together to provide services for survivors of domestic violence. This seminar will explore the intersections of gender, ‘race’, immigration status and class in domestic violence policy and practice. The emergent themes of this research will be revealed through a focus on how these initiatives have influenced the safety of survivors; survivor criminalisation and immigration enforcement. For survivors that wanted a criminal justice solution for their abuse, women’s sector and criminal justice collaboration was found to respond to risk with speed and efficiency. However, the initiatives rely on a combination of pro-arrest and mandatory prosecution policies, which were found to increase the likelihood of some survivors being criminalised. Those most vulnerable to criminalisation were migrant survivors, survivors who had defended themselves against their perpetrators, and those who had rejected criminal justice involvement in their abuse. While a consolidated criminal justice response to domestic violence is working for some survivors, the resulting increase in police and prosecutorial presence creates new forms of vulnerability for others, especially for those deemed unlawful, disobedient, or uncooperative.
About the Speaker
Dr. Aviah Sarah Day is a lecturer in Criminology at Birkbeck, University of London as well as an activist in the East End chapter of Sisters Uncut. Sisters Uncut is a national direct-action collective fighting cuts to domestic violence services as well as state violence. Aviah’s PhD titled “Partnership and Power: Domestic Violence, the Women’s Sector and the Criminal Justice System” applied an intersectional approach to women’s sector partnership with the criminal justice system, focusing specifically on gender, class, ‘race’, immigration status and disability. Her research interests are survivor criminalisation, transformative justice and prison abolition.
About the Criminology Seminar Series
In line with the School of Law, Birkbeck's research and teaching ethos, the Criminology Seminar Series aims to provide a platform for critical and interdisciplinary research, showcasing prominent and path-breaking research on crime, criminal justice and related themes by scholars from within and beyond Birkbeck. The series is convened by Dr Sappho Xenakis, School of Law, Birkbeck.
Attendance to the events is free but registration is required. Talks from the 2019/20 series will be available for download via the website. Find out more about the series here. The hashtag for the event is #BBKCrimSeries.
This event is open to the public and free to attend however booking is required via this page. We kindly request that if you are unable to attend that you cancel your booking in order to allow others to attend.
Latecomers to the event are not guaranteed entry. Please be advised that photographs may be taken at the event.
Please contact us if you have any access requirements. See here for further details of accessibility at Birkbeck venues. Food and drink may be served at this event. Please contact us if you have any allergies that we may need to consider.
Contact name:
School of Law