Examining the Canadian criminal justice framework for survivors of domestic violence and survivors' satisfaction with these safeguards

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is criminalized in Canada and remains an ongoing concern for survivors. Through a critical appraisal of secondary literature with a transformative worldview, the aim of this study is to investigate the criminal justice system (CJS) framework to determine what services provide satisfactory outcomes to survivors. Through the literature evaluated there is consensus that significant reform is needed to achieve these illusive satisfactory outcomes. To keep within scope, survivors considered were over the age of 18, and literature was selected from the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada only. This study highlights that the CJS has not been successful at adequately addressing domestic violence (DV) despite decades of effort and policy approaches that are increasingly punitive. CJS responses also have unintended consequences for survivors, leading to dissatisfaction with the process. This study calls for further research involving survivor input and the exploration of a more balanced approach that considers both the legal and social contexts of DV, as well as comprehensive investigations founded on survivor input into the potential consequences of a response that prioritizes increased community involvement and a reduction of state power, a route toward the decriminalization of DV.