Child Exposure to Domestic Violence
Pedro J. Ramirez
CJA/314
January 14, 2014
Prof. Robert Otero-Ortega

Child Exposure to Domestic Violence

The policy issues that seem to be a major concern in the United States is about children being exposed to domestic violence in the home. No-one really looks at what the children have to go through when this happens. There could be some major damage done to the children that have been exposed to this happening. Boston police go on an average of about 200 calls a month on domestic violence.
The content of the video on “Child exposure to Domestic Violence” was a personal crime. First we need to understand what the definition of “personal crime” is: “rape, sexual assault, personal robbery, assault, purse snatching and pocket picking. This category includes both attempted and completed crimes” (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2010). Even though some people do not think of personal crime as a domestic violence, it is considered to be assault. Also, many people do not think of verbal assault, which is just as bad for a child to hear, but not as bad as domestic violence.
When watching the video some of the causal factors that were noticed were that of a mother having a restraining order against her on again of again boyfriend. The boyfriend, who was also the father of a three year old boy that was in the home, was trying to get in through a window. When the female speaker called 911 she informed them that there was a restraining order in affect against the suspect. Even though at this time there were no signs of domestic violence taking place, the suspect had committed them before and that is the reason for the restraining order. Also, in the video a speaker named Hugh Downs talked about OJ Simpsons children and if they had witnessed any abuse happening towards their mother by the hands of their father. One child expressed how her parents are always fighting, mainly when she is in her bedroom. This little girl also was afraid that her father would kill her mother and then kill her, like he has said in the past.
There were really no recommendations mentioned in the video, other than what the three year old little boy is thinking when he sees this domestic violence takes place. It seems like the younger the child is they will exhibit a higher level of emotional and psychological distress then what an older child will. People who commit domestic violence against one another with a child or children present never think of the outcome and how it will affect the child or children. If these children continue to see all of this domestic violence especially if it is a young boy, they may result in continuing this same behavior throughout childhood.
There were not any future implications that were discussed in the video. Yet, I have some future implications that I would like to talk about. For instance the three year old boy in the video yet again witnessed his father being arrested for the restraining order that was in place. This young boy really does not understand what is happening to his family, meaning what is really happening with his father. A future implication that I think should be in place is one that makes both parents responsible for the actions of domestic violence, but at the same time then we would be hurting the child. The world needs to think about the child and not themselves.
There is a lot of content-specific information that is relevant to the video that I selected. There was an article that stated “children who live with domestic violence face increased risks: the risk of exposure to traumatic events, the risk of neglect and the risk of being directly abused” (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2009). Children of domestic violence homes can develop long-term problems, behavioral, social and emotional problems. Children who witness the act of domestic violence may be afraid to go to sleep at night because they are worried they might wake up to a horrible situation.
The basic elements that served as the basis for the video that I selected is how innocent children are being subjected to seeing someone they love being abused, whether it be emotionally, mentally or physically. The worst part is how sometimes these children even become a part of this abuse. The parents that are causing this type of abuse need to think about the effects that this will have on the child. A child that hears or sees a violent act may be subject to being an abuser as they get older.
The criminological theory that would best explain the occurrence of this crime and issue would be “emphasis is on criminogenic (likely to cause criminal behavior) social condition. This is the immediate social environment that is primarily responsible for what happens with a person who has gone through some rough times, such as; a broken family or poor parenting. Labeling theory is also one that can be involved in domestic violence. If a person grows up in a home where there is a lot of violence happening and people know it, they may label you as an abuser yourself even though you have never done anything.

References
Bureau of Justice Statistics: BJS. (July 26, 2010) Terms & Definitions: Crime Type http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov Child Welfare Information Gateway (2009) “Domestic Violence and the Child Welfare System” www.childwelfare.gov Downs, H. (1999) “Domestic Violence and Children” Films media group. 2011 by films on demand
http://digital.films.com