Punishing Violence Against Women: Seeking The Right Balance

For much of our history, violence against women has not been taken seriously enough. This is particularly so when the victim is the perpetrator’s wife or girlfriend. Occasionally, however, such perpetrators have been punished too severely in the name of zero tolerance. What we need is nuance and balance. Some cases of violence against women demand severe punishment, others do not. It should be the job of the courts, and to some extent the legislatures, to sort out which cases require severe punishment and which are better punished less severely.