The social control of family violence

There has been a decidedly different social response to the abuse of a child and the abuse of an intimate partner, although both forms of violence occur within the family. This article explains the differential response to these forms of family violence through a historical examination of the movements to combat child abuse and intimate partner violence, including the influence of first- and second-wave feminism. The author applies theories of social control to analyze the development of the social response. She argues that an integration of the social service and criminal justice systems would best serve families who are experiencing violence.