RT Article
T1 Self-blame and (becoming) the crazy ex: Domestic abuse, information sharing and responsibilisation
JF Criminology & criminal justice
VO 25
IS 5
SP 1573
OP 1588
A1 Renehan, Nicole
A1 Barlow, Charlotte
A1 Walklate, Sandra 1950-
A2 Barlow, Charlotte
A2 Walklate, Sandra 1950-
LA English
YR 2025
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1938933524
AB The 2021 Domestic Abuse Act puts the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (Clare’s Law) on a statutory footing which allows police forces to share someone’s criminal history to prevent domestic abuse. In this article, we draw on the findings from a wider study on women’s experiences of accessing such schemes and instead highlight the informal ways in which women shared and received information about domestic abuse experiences among each other to prevent domestic abuse. These experiences are located within a ‘red flag’ discourse which we argue inadvertently responsibilises women, who in turn blame themselves for failing to leave abusive relationships. The conclusion makes some suggestions as to how a better understanding of the reality of victim-survivors’ everyday lives might inform the practices of those tasked with supporting women in making sense of disclosures of domestic abuse and providing appropriate support at the right time.
K1 Responsibilisation
K1 Information sharing
K1 domestic violence disclosure schemes
K1 Clare’s Law
DO 10.1177/17488958231207463