Events

The Gender and the Law Cluster and the Criminal Justice Centre at Warwick Law School are pleased to invite you to a book discussion of The Potential and Peril of Reviewing Domestic Abuse-Related Deaths by Dr James Rowlands. The discussion will take place on Tuesday, 18 November, from 1-2 pm in Room S0.20 (Social Sciences Building, University of Warwick). Lunch will be served from 12:30 pm.

Speaker: Dr James Rowlands is an Assistant Professor in Sociology at Durham University. His research focuses on domestic abuse, specifically domestic homicide and domestic abuse-related deaths by suicide, as well as fatality review systems and femicide. James’ broader interests encompass practice and policy interventions, including coordinated community responses, as well as the experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans+ (LGBT+) victims/survivors and also heterosexual men. James’ practice background includes training as a social worker and working in the voluntary and statutory sectors in frontline, leadership, and policy roles.

Chair: Prof. Vanessa Munro, Warwick Law School

Book Description: Considering the potential and peril of Domestic Abuse-Related Death Reviews (DARDRs) in England and Wales as a way of learning from domestic abuse related deaths, this book examines what DARDRs – first known as Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs) – are understood as being for, what is used by and in DARDRs, and how DARDRs are themselves used.

Drawing on rich empirical data, this text combines information gathered from published DARDRs as well as from the experiences of stakeholders, including representatives from organisations who had contact with a victim, and those who knew them personally. This analysis is further underpinned by the author’s distinct perspective as a practitioner, which includes having led DARDRs as an independent chair. Setting out an approach that frames the review of domestic abuse-related deaths as a means of achieving justice, the book addresses best practice in making sense of domestic abuse-related deaths, the efforts to drive practice, policy and systems change, and the memorialisation of victims, with a view to improving responses to domestic abuse for all victims, survivors and, perhaps, to prevent future deaths.

The Potential and Peril of Reviewing Domestic Abuse- Related Deaths will be of great interest to students and scholars of criminology, social work, and sociology, as a way of understanding the policy and practice of trying to make sense of and respond to domestic abuse-related deaths.

If you would like to join online, please register hereLink opens in a new window. You will receive the Microsoft Teams link upon registration.