Does criminalisation prevent violence against women?

In this episode of CEVAW Conversations, we explore a complex and timely question: does criminalising violence against women actually make women safer? Professors Heather Douglas, Julia Tolmie and Kyllie Cripps bring legal expertise, research insights and lived experience to unpack the limits of the current justice system – and what we should be asking instead.

We discuss the symbolic power of the law, the risks of relying on punitive responses, and the urgent need for alternatives to incarceration that centre prevention, accountability and survivor safety. From restorative approaches to community-driven solutions, this conversation challenges one-size-fits-all thinking and asks what real justice could look like.

If you're interested in meaningful reform, survivor safety, system transformation and evidence-based alternatives to punishment, this conversation is for you.

Triple Zero (000) in an emergency/immediate threat to life

1800RESPECT call 1800 737 732 or text 0458 737 732

13 YARN call 13 92 76, crisis support line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

Rainbow Sexual, Domestic and Family Violence Helpline call 1800 497 212

Men’s Referral Service call 1300 766 491

Find international help

Get legal help for your situation https://justiceconnect.org.au/

Victoria Legal Aid includes resources on courts and the legal system, domestic and family abuse, police powers and intervention orders

Coercive control and the law in NSW

Family violence laws in Aotearoa New Zealand

Ballarat community saturation model, Respect Victoria

Maranguka Justice Reinvestment, Bourke

Project Mirabal, UK

Sharman, L. Douglas, H. and Fitzgerald, R. (2024) A Qualitative Exploration of the Impact of Increasing Criminalization on Domestic Violence Support Workers: Nonfatal Strangulation as a Case Study, Violence against women. doi: 10.1177/10778012241289422.

Barlow, C. and Walklate, S. (2025) Learning Lessons from the Criminalisation of Coercive and Controlling Behaviour Ten Years On: The Implementation Journey in England and Wales, International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy. doi: 10.5204/ijcjsd.3700.

Tolmie, J. (2018) Considering Victim Safety When Sentencing Intimate Partner Violence Offenders. In K. Fitz-Gibbon, S. Walklate, J. McCulloch, and J. Maher (Eds.), Intimate Partner Violence, Risk and Security: Securing Women's Lives (pp. 169-188). Routledge.