An Examination of Police and Social Service Responses to Honor Violence in Turkey and England

• In Event: Gender in the Criminal Justice System: International Experience

Abstract

Over the past decade, a specific form of gender-based violence known as honor violence has drawn international attention because it has been increasingly reported in immigrant communities in western countries. Governmental agencies and interest groups have called for a response to this form of gender-based violence in the United States. This research is a mixed method, cross-country comparison of institutional responses to honor violence in Turkey and England. This research examines the differences in, and challenges to, two different models of providing criminal justice and social service responses to honor violence. A comparative case study method of interviews with 72 key stakeholders, vignettes, and document analysis is used to examine institutional responses to honor violence in each country. Qualitative content analysis is used to analyze the interviews and vignettes in terms of the narrative and cultural context, and to determine relationships between emerging concepts, themes, and cases. Unofficial and official documents are analyzed to assess patterns of institutional responses and key actors in these responses, thus aiding in understanding how the organization responds to honor violence. Implications for American honor violence prevention and intervention are discussed.

Author

• Alana M. Henninger, CUNY Graduate Center / John Jay College of Criminal Justice