Clares Law

[LilBB]

Just heard about this campaign on the radio Here

What do we think about this? More need to be done to prevent/protect DV victims but I'm not sure this is the answer. It depends entirely on the violent partner having a criminal history. Many DV victims don't report it. My cousin (20) was followed home from a friends house by a boyfriend and he beat her up because she had said she was going to her dads house. He really beat her up, she was black and blue. His ex then got in touch and apologised for not warning her as he had beat her up too. Yet neither reported it to the police.

Another potential problem, which is the attitude I see on here a lot, bitter ex syndrome. Often new girlfriends accept what their partner tells them and accuse the ex of being bitter, jealous etc. So would a man explain away a DV incident that has come up in this check? Often these men are very good at emotional abuse and people can be naive in the beginning of a relationship.

Finally would women have this check done or soon enough for it to be affective? When they found out the new partner was violent how would they end the relationship?

[BornSicky]

agree on both counts lilbb

i think there's another important legal aspect which is that, unless you are on the sex offenders register for life (or a very few other rare interventions from the state), there is a life-span for your sentence; the part you might serve in jail and the years after where you have to declare it as an unspent conviction.

if a sentence is spent, then it should be just that, otherwise how can we ever defend the rehabilitative element of our sentencing system?

I'm also very unconvinced as to why anyone has the right to investigate your criminal history without just legal cause, and i'm afraid i don't think dating a man is just cause. either we believe people have served their time and paid their price to society, or we don't.

i think i heard relate did not wish to support this proposal for all of the reasons above.

[HerBeX]

I'm not sure it would do any good tbh, for the reasons already discussed and because I think it might just re-inforce the victim-blaming that goes on when women are victims of DV "well why didn't she check his DV record"...

The best thing would be for police and courts to take DV seriously, for the media to portray it intelligently and for people to be taught about red flags in relationships at school so that everyone can learn what to look out for and what should alert them to the fact that someone might be a nutter.

[SpringchickenGoldBrass]

Oh FFS another witless emotive appeal for a bad law. Lots of abusive men do not have criminal records in the first place, and even some of those who do may have been rehabilitated. Also, how far do you think people should be able to go in prying into a new partner's history? Would you feel entitled to check their medical records to make sure they haven't got faulty genes they might pass on to your DC?