Domestic violence against a woman by a drug-addicted spouse: a criminological analysis of the problem and prospect for legal innovations

The article demonstrates the multifaceted nature of domestic violence. The specific features of domestic violence against women perpetrated by drug-addicted spouses are substantiated, allowing to consider it as an independent socio-legal phenomenon. Factors that exacerbate the problem of this type of domestic violence are revealed. General and specific types of victimization of such violence are identified. A correlation between other criminologically significant negative background phenomena of crime and a profound deformation of women’s positive psychological features are demonstrated. With regard to the problem under consideration, the absence of a fourth stage in the cyclical nature of domestic violence is noted. In order to strengthen the criminal-legal protection of minors, pregnant women, and women with a child under fourteen, it is proposed to supplement Article 63 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation «Aggravating Circumstances of Punishment» with Part 1.2. Proposals for optimizing the draft law in the area of combating domestic violence are formulated.