"Physical, psychological, and sexual abuse among intimate partners, commonly known as domestic violence, but more recently as intimate partner violence or IPV, is a significant social and public health problem in the United States and worldwide. IPV had long been considered private by law enforcement, rarely investigated by social science researchers, and poorly understood by mental health professionals. In the 1980s, a series of well-publicized court cases, such as Thurman v. City of Torrington (1985), brought to light the grossly inadequate law enforcement response at the time, which allowed repeat offenders to avoid prosecution while their partners continued to be victimized, often fatally. In response, a grassroots victim advocacy movement established shelter and other services for victims while lobbying state legislatures across the United States, and subsequently to Canada, the U.K., and other nations, to enact new laws that would hold offenders accountable (Buzawa & Buzawa, 2002; Russell, 2010)"--