Abstract
With the aim of bridging the gap between police research and practice, Honor-Based Violence: Policing and Prevention is part of a series on police theory and practice. This book is unique in that not only does it examine honor-based violence (HBV) from a police perspective, it does so with the goal of guiding law enforcement and other stakeholders in best practices for working with victims of HBV. The authors, a forensic psychologist and two London police officers, bring considerable experience in working with HBV victims and communities to the policy and practice suggestions.
Over 11 chapters, Honor-Based Violence: Policing and Prevention explores the nature and manifestation of HBV and provides meaningful suggestions for law enforcement. The first two chapters present a general introduction to HBV and explanatory theories. The third chapter focuses on primary investigation, while the next three sections cover various aspects of secondary investigation. Chapters 7–9 are dedicated to risk management, multiagency relationships, and communications. Special circumstances of children and HBV is the topic of Chapter 10. The concluding chapter summarizes the book’s key suggestions.
The introductory chapter focuses on defining HBV. The authors adopt the Association of Chief Police Officers definition of honor-based, which states that HBV is “ … a crime or incident, which has or may have been committed to protect or defend the honor of the family and/or community.” The authors note a lack of systematic research on HBV as they provide a general discussion of various types of HBV including sex-selective abortion, female genital mutilation, dowry deaths, honor killings, and forced marriage. Chapter 2 analyzes theories of HBV in hoping that by understanding the underlying causes of HBV, early detection can be made to prevent victimization. An understanding of HBV further guides law enforcement officials in risk assessment. The explanatory theories employed in understanding HBV are cultural theories, HBV as male violence and psychological models. The authors provide a brief explanation of the evolution of an honor culture and the circumstances in which men control women’s bodies. The male violence theory further explores the ways in which men maintain their power through control of women. Identity theory provides an insight into the role of cultural norms in forming one’s identity and the violence that may result when there are competing identities or role conflict. The authors suggest that a multifactor model that combines psychological, social, and environmental factors is a more complete model for understanding HBV.
Law enforcements’ response to an initial report of HBV is vital, as it sets the stage for primary and secondary investigations. The authors suggest that all law enforcement staff should have a general understanding of HBV. They offer various insights into investigating HBV. Law enforcement should understand that family members may be complicit in HBV and should be careful not to return a victim to the abusive family. They emphasize the importance of carrying out the investigation with professionalism and integrity because of the sensitive nature of HBV to the community and they stress the importance of preserving evidence at the crime scene. They further recommend that law enforcement should be sensitive to cultural differences, but cultural differences are not an excuse for breaking the law.
The authors recommend that only HBV investigators or detectives handle the secondary investigation. Best practices in dealing with victims, witnesses, and suspects are discussed as well as pathology and crime scenes. They recommend that a crime scene search include looking for things that do not fit with cultural beliefs, such as alcohol. Recommendations for the secondary investigation continue with a chapter on types of offenses including homicide, sexual offenses, domestic violence, threats, kidnapping, and other offenses. They urge investigators to be aware that rape victims may be forced to marry the perpetrator as a way to restore honor to the family. The last chapter of the section on secondary investigations focuses on the role of family liaison officers, supervisors, and prosecution. Prosecutors are urged to be aware that underage youth may be offered as suspects due to the belief that they will not be held criminally responsible.
The chapter that explores issues related to risk management within HBV investigations has valuable practical information such as a link to a risk assessment model used in the United Kingdom and a table of control measures for standard, medium, and high risk. The Risk Management Mitigating Control Measures table includes practical information such as a suggestion that those at medium risk determine a danger signal and a visible placement for it in a street-facing window. A discussion on the dangers of miscategorizing a risk as high when it is actually low and the effect that decision could have on the community is an important consideration. An outline of the community impact assessment used by London Metropolitan Police Service is included with a brief discussion. The sections on multiagency work and communication explore the responsibilities of various agencies and communication strategies that should be used.
The book concludes with a chapter on children and HBV particularly focusing on female genital mutilation, forced marriage, sexual assault, and rape. It offers practical suggestions for law enforcement in handling a vulnerable population and suggests a multiagency response with a memorandum of understanding for sharing sensitive information. Most of the chapter focuses on preventing child HBV, but a section is included which addresses policies and protocols for dealing with child victims of HBV.
As an introduction to HBV and policing, this book takes a practical approach to investigating and managing HBV. It includes best practices and suggestions based on the authors’ professional experience. While suggestions refer to models and policies used in the United Kingdom, they are applicable to other countries. In an increasingly global society, the book is timely in addressing issues related to transnational migration. The book is most likely to appeal to practitioners and those seeking a general introduction to policing and HBV.