CSSLRV researcher Julie Poon, who is also a PhD candidate in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Guelph, was lead author on recently published findings stemming from a study that examined factors affecting the likelihood of sole and dual charging of women in cases of intimate partner violence (IPV). Appearing in the journal Violence Against Women, Poon’s co-authors are Centre Director Dr. Myrna Dawson and Dr. Mavis Morton, both also at the University of Guelph. The article draws upon Poon’s Master’s thesis research that examined data from a larger project funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, led by Dr. Dawson. Focusing on IPV incidents in which charges were laid between 2003 and 2009 in a small Ontario city, socio-demographic and situational characteristics were analyzed to determine if the context in which women were charged differed from that of men or in which dual charges were laid. The findings indicate that women were more likely to be charged if they were younger, in legal or common-law relationships, and in more rural jurisdictions. Dual charging was more likely to occur among women in current and dating relationships.
