This book aims to provide an up-to-date and comprehensive introduction to the subject of domestic violence and its interaction with the criminal justice system- taken to mean the response that is made to domestic violence through agencies that include the police, the Crown Prosecution Service, the probation service and Children's Services, the courts and the prison service, as well as by voluntary agencies such as Women's Aid. The book also looks at how these various agencies work together at a local level and the coordinating role of the Home Office and the direction provided at a central level. Domestic Violence and Criminal Justice examines the phenomenon of domestic violence and the various forms it takes, and the theories that have been put forward to explain it. It takes an historical approach to examine policy and legislative developments over the last thirty years and how those developments make themselves manifest today. The authors provide an authoritative and critical account of the different agencies and the work they carry out both independently and jointly with others. The book provides a conceptual framework in which domestic violence and criminal justice might be better understood. It covers all the current issues in this field and also be a 'source book' in directing readers to further reading and other relevant resources. It will be essential reading for both students and practitioners in the field.