How can the correspondence method help to understand the impact that intimate partner violence has on the legal experiences of women incarcerated in N

Main Research Question

How can the correspondence method help to understand the impact that intimate partner violence has on the legal experiences of women incarcerated in Nevada, USA?

Research Topic

The World Health Organisation (WHO, 2022) describes intimate partner violence as 'behaviour within an intimate relationship that causes physical, sexual or psychological harm, including acts of physical aggression, sexual coercion, psychological abuse and controlling behaviours'. Victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) face a higher risk of becoming perpetrators of criminal activities themselves (Dichter and Osthoff, 2015) and are therefore more likely to face incarceration. In the United States, experiences of adulthood intimate partner violence are reported by approximately 70-80% of incarcerated women (ibid).

During her time as a volunteer for Return Strong, a grassroots, non-profit organisation in Nevada, USA, the author of this thesis proposal co-created a Pardons Advocacy Committee (PAC) which sought to address disproportionate sentencing practices caused by racial and gender bias in the state. She researched multiple cases and found that almost all the women in the state seeking sentence commutations through the Nevada Pardons Board were victims of IPV prior to incarceration. Many are serving life without parole sentences for crimes they did not personally commit. The author's proposed thesis will help to understand the links between IPV and the legal experiences of affected incarcerated women, particularly in relation to the sentences they receive.