RT Article T1 Criminal justice response in Cape Verde: understanding punishment severity in case of gender-based violence against women JF International journal of law, crime and justice VO 79 SP 1 OP 8 A1 Mendes Rodrigues, Edília A1 Poiares, Carlos Alberto A1 Zaragoza, Laura Llor A1 Branco, Fernando A1 Monteiro, Cátia Matias A1 Domingos, Rita A1 Ogueji, Ifeanyichukwu Anthony A1 Louro, Maria Cunha A2 Poiares, Carlos Alberto A2 Zaragoza, Laura Llor A2 Branco, Fernando A2 Monteiro, Cátia Matias A2 Domingos, Rita A2 Ogueji, Ifeanyichukwu Anthony A2 Louro, Maria Cunha LA English YR 2024 UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1914900170 AB Gender-based violence (GBV) is the subject of a unique statute and has been defined as a criminal offence requiring criminal intervention in Cape Verde since 2011. However, while numerous studies have been conducted on the sentencing outcomes of GBV against women, this phenomenon has received little to no attention in the African context, particularly in Cape Verde. This study examines 72 court cases involving heterosexual couples with female victims and male offenders. Data were collected using Punishment Severity and Psychologization Index (Secondary Criminalization) Revised - PSPI(SC) - R. The results revealed that the severity of punishment in GBV against women in Cape Verde on average is lenient and judges did not consider support from behavioral practitioners in their decisions. Additionally, correlation analysis showed that level of education and criminal record were correlated with the punishment severity index (PSI). To determine the strength and to what extent these two factors explain the variation in PSI, a multiple regression analysis was carried out. This indicated that (i) the lower the offender's level of education, the higher the severity of punishment and (ii) offenders with criminal records have an average harsher sentence than their respective counterparts who had no prior criminal record. The study highlights the need for a more rigorous and informed approach to GBV cases against women in Cape Verde, balancing punitive measures with the inclusion of behavioral practitioner support in judicial decisions to better protect victims and reduce recidivism among offenders. NO Literaturverzeichnis: Seite 7-8 K1 Cape Verde K1 Criminal Justice K1 domestic violence K1 gender-based violence K1 Punishment K1 Women DO 10.1016/j.ijlcj.2024.100701