Mapping Complexity: Visualizing a Multi-Pronged System of Care for Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence

• In Event: Poster Session

Abstract

When (re)claiming freedom from abuse, intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors may have to invite a multi-pronged web of legal and social service interventions into their lives. This system, composed of various entities (e.g., courts, law enforcement, shelters, hospitals), can be a complicated terrain to navigate. The current study constructs a visualization of the community-wide system aimed at addressing IPV in a large city in the southeastern United States. First, interviews with stakeholders at various system entities (e.g., prosecutors, domestic violence court, domestic violence shelters, non-certified agencies serving IPV victims, batterer intervention) are conducted to understand the step-by-step processes associated with victims’ and offenders’ journeys through the community-wide anti-IPV system. Second, internal stakeholder documents, as well as online public documents, are collected to further identify the connection points within and among entities and processes. Third, interviews with IPV victims are conducted to further test and clarify the roadmap associated with system entities. Triangulation among stakeholder interviews, documents, and victim interviews will be used to visually map the individual and interconnected components of the anti-IPV system. This analysis cultivates the opportunity to further scrutinize gaps in entity-to-entity connections and clarify for victims their physical/temporal position within the system.

Authors

• Julio Montanez, University of Central Florida

• Amy Donley, University of Central Florida