This thesis brings together eighteenth-century attitudes to the abduction of women portrayed by the law, by newspapers, and in fiction. I focus attention on the interest these different forms of narrative share in scrutinizing women’s behaviour and argue that the abduction plot is more important than its status as a stock literary convention would imply. Rather, it is a pliant, complex, and nuanced motif that allows writers the space to explore the difficult and contradictory position of women and attitudes to sexual relations. This thesis is divided into two parts. The first part comprises two chapters that look at abduction from an historical perspective. The first chapter examines the legal context of abduction as a criminal act and the second chapter examines the social context of ‘abduction’ as a euphemism for a sexual adventure. This part includes preliminary analysis of abduction plots in Charlotte Smith’s Emmeline, the Orphan of the Castle (1788) and Ann Radcliffe’s The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne: A Highland Story (1789). The second part comprises three chapters in which I read a range of novels for their abduction plots and scenes. Chapter three focusses on reviewing and on lesser known novels that are not widely read today. It examines the uneasy dialogue between novels and the way they were conveyed to readers. I argue that reviewing presents a discourse of aggression towards women. Chapter four considers abduction plots in domestic fiction focussing on a short story from Eliza Haywood’s The Female Spectator (1744-46), Samuel Richardson’s The History of Sir Charles Grandison (1753-54), and Sarah Fielding’s The History of Ophelia (1760). Chapter five considers the gothic abduction plot in Frances Burney’s Camilla, or a Picture of Youth (1796), Charlotte Smith’s The Young Philosopher (1798) and Ann Radcliffe’s The Romance of the Forest (1791). I take an historicist approach and underpin my analysis of fictional abduction plots with newspaper research that suggests ‘abduction’ had a meaning in social and cultural discourse that associated it with gossip and innuendo. This research demonstrates that newspapers played an important role in establishing the ambiguity of ‘abduction’ in the public consciousness. I argue that this journalistic discourse contributed to the suppression of abduction as a violent crime that endangered women. I suggest that the introduction of comprehensive reviewing created the space for a discourse of aggression to flourish. Many reviews are short, pithy comments criticising a novel as derivative, badly written, and immoral. I argue that a series of reviews appearing on a single page gives the impression that violence towards women is a normal everyday occurrence and abduction is a familiar hazard on the road to domestic felicity. I conclude that ‘abduction’ is a porous term in which disparate ideas – sexual aggression, violent crime, and euphemistic social commentary – are held in tension with each other. This tension enables a complex interpretation of what at first appears to be a simple narrative of violent male aggression and female culpability. The ambiguity this tension creates reveals the abduction plot as a versatile motif that challenges the social hierarchy and posits an alternative narrative for women.

Over the past two decades, technology has developed tremendously, at an almost exponential rate. While this development has served the nation in numerous different positive ways, negatives have also emerged. One such negative is that of computer crime. This criminality has even grown so fast as to leave current digital forensic tools lagging behind in terms of development, and capabilities to manage such increasing and sophisticated types of crime. In essence the time taken to analyse a case is huge and increasing, and cases are not fully or properly investigated. This results in an ever-increasing number of pending and unsolved cases pertaining to computer crime. Digital forensics has become an essential tool in the fight against computer crime, providing both procedures and tools for the acquisition, examination and analysis of digital evidence. However, the use of technology is expanding at an ever-increasing rate, with the number of devices a single user might engage with increasing from a single device to 3 or more, the data capacity of those devices reaching far into the Terabytes, and the nature of the underlying technology evolving (for example, the use of cloud services). This results in an incredible challenge for forensic examiners to process and analyse cases in an efficient and effective manner. This thesis focuses upon the examination and analysis phases of the investigative process and considers whether automation of the process is possible. The investigation begins with researching the current state of the art, and illustrates a wide range of challenges that are facing the digital forensics investigators when analysing a case. Supported by a survey of forensic researchers and practitioners, key challenges were identified and prioritised. It was found that 95% of participants believed that the number of forensic investigations would increase in the coming times, with 75% of participants believing that the time consumed in such cases would increase. With regards to the digital forensic sophistication, 95% of the participants expected a rise in the complexity level and sophistication of digital forensics. To this end, an automated intelligent system that could be used to reduce the investigator’s time and cognitive load was found to be a promising solution. A series of experiments are devised around the use of Self-Organising Maps (SOMs) – a technique well known for unsupervised clustering of objects. The analysis is performed on a range of file system and application-level objects (e.g. email, internet activity) across four forensic cases. Experiment evaluations revealed SOMs are able to successfully cluster forensic artefacts from the remaining files. Having established SOMs are capable of clustering wanted artefacts from the case, a novel algorithm referred to as the Automated Evidence Profiler (AEP), is proposed to encapsulate the process and provide further refinement of the artefact identification process. The algorithm led to achieving identification rates in examined cases of 100% in two cases and 94% in a third. A novel architecture is proposed to support the algorithm in an operational capacity – considering standard forensic techniques such as hashing for known files, file signature analysis, application-level analysis. This provides a mechanism that is capable of utilising the A E P with several other components that are able to filter, prioritise and visualise artefacts of interest to investigator. The approach, known as Automated Forensic Examiner (AFE), is capable of identifying potential evidence in a more efficient and effective manner. The approach was evaluated by a number of experts in the field, and it was unanimously agreed that the chosen research problem was one with great validity. Further to this, the experts all showed support for the Automated Forensic Examiner based on the results of cases analysed.

Tese (doutorado)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Medicina, 2008. / Submitted by Fernanda Weschenfelder (nandaweschenfelder@gmail.com) on 2009-09-22T16:38:12Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2008_ValdiCraveiroBezerra.pdf: 558617 bytes, checksum: 911e8f01b99dbd6b1922ebb2f5e8d08f (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luanna Maia(luanna@bce.unb.br) on 2009-09-23T11:17:12Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2008_ValdiCraveiroBezerra.pdf: 558617 bytes, checksum: 911e8f01b99dbd6b1922ebb2f5e8d08f (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2009-09-23T11:17:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2008_ValdiCraveiroBezerra.pdf: 558617 bytes, checksum: 911e8f01b99dbd6b1922ebb2f5e8d08f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008 / Contexto – Nas várias definições de violência sexual, a percepção das (dos) sobreviventes não participa dos critérios utilizados. As conseqüências são limitadas à prevalência de sintomas e transtornos mentais, e os vários incidentes sofrido pelo mesmo sujeito são aglutinados em um caso. Objetivo - Verificar a persistência do sofrimento nos incidentes de violência sexual na infância e adolescência e seus fatores associados e, testar a hipótese de independência entre os diferentes incidentes vividos pelo mesmo sujeito e o sofrimento causado. Métodos: Estudo transversal em 93 sujeitos totalizando136 incidentes de violência sexual com 33% de múltiplos incidentes. Foram usados os testes de Mann-Whitney e o Teste da Mediana e o teste do Qui-quadrado de Pearson ou Fisher quando necessário (Į= 0,05). Para análise multivariada utilizou-se a Regressão Logística, método Backward Stepwise. Resultados: Os incidentes ocorreram em 82% na faixa etária de 5 a 14 anos. A prevalência da persistência do sofrimento foi de 70% e não houve diferença estatística entre o grupo que sofreu um e o grupo com dois incidentes (p=0,42) ou entre os últimos e quem sofreu três ou mais incidentes (p=0,13). No entanto, apresentou relação significante com: duração maior que 180 dias (p=0, 014) e o número maior que 15 eventos por incidente (p=0,007), violência sexual com contato (p=0.021), e com penetração (p = 0.003), ser ameaçada (p = 0.004) e sentir-se como “coisa” (p = 0.004). Não houve diferença entre os casos de violência sexual com penetração por dedos, pênis ou língua em vagina, ânus ou boca. Na análise multivariada foram significativos estatisticamente a duração acima de 180 dias (p=0,003; OR 3,98) e VS com penetração (p=0,002; OR 4,53). Conclusões: A persistência do sofrimento independe do número de incidentes sofridos pelo mesmo sujeito e sua prevalência não diminui em função do tempo. A utilização da subjetividade das (dos) sobreviventes na pesquisa amplia sobremaneira a compreensão da violência sexual e suas conseqüências. ______________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT / Context: The consequences of child sexual abuse (CSA) have been evaluated by the objective analyses of mental and physical disorders. However, this approach ignores the peculiarities of each abuse incident and considers that many incidents suffered by a same individual results in a single effect. Objective: We tested the hypothesis that suffering generated by CSA is independent of the number of incidents suffered by a same victim. We used the subjective perspective of victims of one or more CSA incidents to assess, for each incident, the persistence of suffering (PS) and related factors. Methods: a cross-sectional study was carried out on 93 victims from 136 incidents of sexual abuse (33% repeated incidents). PS concerning the incidents and its relation to the perpetrator and victim characteristics were assessed in interviews. Results: Most of the victims (82%) were aged between 5 and 14 years. PS was detected in 70% of the victims and was similar between victims of one or two abuse incidents (P=0.42) and between victims of two or more incidents (P=0.13). PS was associated to CSA if the incident lasted more than 180 days (P = 0. 014) or comprised more than 15 events per incident (P = 0.007), if the abuses involved physical contact (P=0.021) or penetration (0.003), “survivor threat” (P = 0.004) and if the victim “felt like an object” (P = 0.004). The Logistic Regression model selected six variables, but only two were significant: CSA duration for over 180 days (P=0.003; OR 3.98) and CSA with penetration (P=0.002; OR 4.53). Conclusions: The perception of suffering does not depend of the number of sexual abuse incidents inflicted on a same individual and persists in most of the cases (70%). Suffering is not ameliorated over time and its persistence is not related to variables usually associated to the severity of the sexual abuse. The consideration of survivor subjectivity in this kind of research widens our understanding of sexual abuse and its consequences.

Does regulating hate promote racial equality? This dissertation proposes a method for beginning an empirical examination into the benefits and burdens of anti-hate laws. Since prohibiting hate speech necessarily invokes the penal system, a promising approach involves measuring the effects of criminalizing similar conduct, i.e., hate crimes. The effects of criminalization are particularly important given the U.S. history of racialized and colorblind justice and some evidence indicating criminalization may harm racial minorities. Chapter 2 examines whether hate crime laws have the unintended consequence of promoting racial inequality by contributing to racial disparities in arrests. It finds that while police are more likely to recognize assaults as hate crimes when the suspects are white, African Americans are nonetheless significantly overrepresented among hate crime arrestees. Chapter 3 examines how race affects victim perception of potential hate crimes, and how this, in turn, affects police response. While research suggests people tend to have a preconceived notion of the quintessential hate crime in which African Americans are victims, it also shows a negative racial bias in which people ascribe greater culpability and are more punitive towards African Americans. This study looks at how people act under the real-world stresses of crime. Findings provide clear evidence of a tendency to label African Americans as hate crime offenders and to report them to police at significantly higher rates. Further, while African American suspects experience relatively high arrest rates generally, the magnitude of this effect is significantly greater for hate crimes. Chapter 4 explores the nefarious uses of hate crime laws, examining how they may be weaponized to inoculate police and undermine movements for racial justice. Specifically, it looks at the case of “Blue Lives Matter” legislation, which extends hate crime protections to police. Findings reject the officer safety rationale: States with BLM proposals do not differ significantly from other states in terms of violence against police. However, African American arrests do predict these bills, indicating they are a continuation of past police repression. Further research is needed to fully understand how officials enforce hate regulations, and the reverberations of this enforcement on society.

Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Ciências Jurídicas. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Direito / Made available in DSpace on 2012-10-17T01:21:14Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0Bitstream added on 2016-01-08T22:19:06Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 186981.pdf: 2151472 bytes, checksum: 00bfbbb23bc9d62b2e8f8735e7597499 (MD5)

The work reported here focused on developing innovative ways of addressing heritage crime, and by doing so, protecting and preserving the historical assets found nationwide. The interdisciplinary focus, linking chemistry and criminology was imperative, and this connection is a novel way in which the issue of heritage crime can be addressed. A survey was completed noting the key issues faced, and helped develop and report an understanding of the general attitudes towards heritage sites across the country. The results obtained here facilitated the chemistry research from this point, channelling the investigations in the appropriate pathway, as well as justifying the work done from that point onwards. A large focus during the course of the research was that of metal theft. With this in mind, there were subsequent attempts to develop a novel and non-invasive technique, which could help lower levels of such crime at heritage sites. Early work concentrated on detecting trace levels of metals commonly found at heritage sites such as copper and lead, and their interaction with the surface of the skin. The metals were shown to form characteristically coloured complexes when reacting with components of the skin itself, thus confirming an individuals recent contact with the relevant metal. This work progressed further via analysis of the metal itself post contact with a human finger. Again, remaining non-invasive was imperative, and a technique focusing on the development of fingerprints from the surface of copper and its alloys, via utilization of gelatine lifters, was studied extensively. Optimizing this technique via a study on the effects of the environment a piece of metal was stored in prior to development via rubeanic acid solution further developed the understanding of this method. Desiccation and the resultant reduction in humidity proved to be effective in enhancing the quality of fingerprint produced. This also had potential impact outside of the heritage crime focus, with fingerprint development from surfaces such as bullet casings being a particularly noteworthy example. Studies relating to why a change in environment enhanced the quality of fingerprint developed were conducted, with several fingermark constituents being shown to react with rubeanate solution. 2 Because of high theft levels highlighted within the survey, efforts were made to produce information regarding stone samples found in a range of different environments. Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was used as a method of non-invasively analysing loose material from several gravestones removed via the gelatine lifters. As well as producing information unique to each piece of stone analysed, this also highlighted a novel use of the analytical equipment itself.

Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Ciências da Saúde. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde Pública. / Made available in DSpace on 2012-10-22T17:01:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 231339.pdf: 2827160 bytes, checksum: 49fa4e0ee060bae2b6947ad9491ab23b (MD5) / Esta dissertação foi realizada com o objetivo geral de identificar as causas da agressão conjugal contra a mulher a partir da ótica do homem agressor. Teve como objetivos específicos descrever as causas, apontadas pelos agressores atendidos em um Programa de Atenção à Violência Doméstica e Intrafamiliar em um município de SC, que os levaram a agredir suas companheiras e de analisar, à luz dos autores que fundamentam este trabalho, as causas apresentadas pelos agressores, sujeitos participantes da pesquisa. Caracterizada como de abordagem qualitativa, a pesquisa utilizou a técnica do grupo focal, tendo como participantes 11(onze) homens que se envolveram com violência conjugal e que participam voluntariamente de um programa de atenção à violência doméstica e intrafamiliar em um município de Santa Catarina. Para a análise, as informações coletadas foram agrupadas em 3 categorias: categoria um: "outros"; categoria dois: "ela"; e categoria três: "eu". Os sujeitos participantes da pesquisa apontaram comportamentos e atitudes que permitiram identificar, sob a ótica do homem agressor, que as causas que o levou a agredir sua companheira foram: interferência de pessoas estranhas à relação conjugal; presença de ações inadequadas da companheira; domínio da mulher sobre o companheiro; resposta à agressão física, verbal ou psicológica da companheira; hábito de beber; e situação financeira. Os resultados também mostraram que as causas apontadas se mesclam no dia-a-dia, se acumulam sob a forma de conflitos e eclodem em atos que configuram a violência conjugal do homem contra a companheira. Além disso, os sujeitos da pesquisa não demonstraram uma compreensão ativa de que eram agressores, ou seja, ao mesmo tempo em que não negavam os atos que relatavam, também não os compreendiam como ações que os caracterizassem como agressores. This dissertation has been carried out aiming at identifying the causes of marital abuse against the woman from the man's stand-point. Its specific goals were to describe the causes pointed out by abusers treated on a Domestic and Intra-Family Violence Watch Program in a city of Santa Catarina State, in order to understand what drove them to attack their spouses and to analyze such attitudes in the light of authors who provide the fundamentals for present work, as well as the causes presented by the subjects participating in the research. Characterized as qualitative focus, the research used the focal group technique, having as participants 11 (eleven) men involved in domestic violence and who volunteered on a domestic and intra-family violence watch program, in a city of Santa Catarina State. For said analysis, the data collected were grouped up in 3 categories: category one: "others"; category two: "she"; and category three: "Ï". The subjects participating in the research pointed out behaviors and attitudes that allowed identification, in the view of the attacker, of the causes leading to the abuse of the spouse, as follows: interference of people outside the marital relationship; spouse's inadequate actions; woman dominating the spouse; response to physical, verbal or mental aggression; addiction on the part of the aggressor (liquor); and financial situation. The results also showed that the causes appointed mix up every day, mounting in the form of conflicts and ending up in marital violence of the man against the woman. Apart from that, the subjects of the research did not display an active understanding of the fact that they were the aggressors, that is, they did not deny the reported actions, but did not seem to see themselves as perpetuators of aggressive behavior as well.

Orientador: Tânia Gracy Martins do Valle / Banca: Sandra Regina Gimeniz-Paschoal / Banca: Olga Maria Piazentim Rolim Rodrigues / Resumo: Estudos sobre a incidência da violência sexual contra crianças têm revelado que este tipo de problemática atinge principalmente as meninas, na faixa etária de 6 a 14 anos, sendo o pai o principal autor. Nas famílias onde acontece a violência sexual é comum haver inversão de papéis entre seus integrantes, desorganizando a dinâmica e o funcionamento do grupo. Advindo o fato, estas famílias frequentemente vivenciam conflitos e sentimentos que influenciam negativamente as relações grupais e individuais de cada membro. Este estudo teve como objetivo identificar variáveis que podem comprometer os processos funcionais da dinâmica de famílias permeadas por violência sexual praticada pelo pai contra a filha. A "Teoria Sistêmica" foi o referencial teórico utilizado para este estudo, modelo que entende a família como uma rede de padrões interacionais e onde se espera comunicação e integração entre seus membros. Este estudo foi composto por 15 crianças do sexo feminino e suas respectivas mães, somando 30 participantes. As crianças tinham faixa etária entre 6 e 10 anos e foram violentadas sexualmente por seus pais. A coleta dos dados foi realizada no "Programa Sentinela" de um município do estado do Paraná, serviço responsável pelo atendimento psicossocial a crianças vítimas de violência sexual. Foi utilizado para coleta dos dados uma entrevista, realizada com as mães das 15 crianças alvo da pesquisa e o "Teste do Desenho em Cores da Família", utilizado tanto com as 15 mães, como com as 15 crianças. Categorização das variáveis para análises específicas e protocolos de avaliação pertinentes aos instrumentos foram utilizados para análise dos dados, com base em pesquisas similares envolvendo famílias. Os resultados demonstraram que em termos gerais, as famílias objeto de análise apresentaram problemas relacionados à competição... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Several studies regarding sexual abuse of children have shown that this type of occurrence is mainly at female youth, aging from 6 to 14 years old, being the father the main responsible for the sexual abuse. Is common the occurence of an inversion in the people's role within the families where the sexual harassment is reported and, therefore, disorganization in the dynamics and functioning of the group. Due to this fact, these families often deal with conflicts and feelings which negatively influence the group and individual relationships of each member. This piece of research aimed at the identification of variables which could damage the functional processes of the dynamics of families where sexual abuse of daughters was inflicted by their fathers. The "Systemic Theory" was the main theoretic reference used in this piece of research. This model sees the family as a net of standards of interaction where communication among their members is expected. This piece of research was designed with 15 female children and their respective mothers, totalizing 30 people. The children aged 6 to 10 years and were sexually abused by their respective fathers. The data was gathered in the "Programa Sentinela" from a city of the Paraná State. The "Programa Sentinela" stands for a public service which is responsible for the psychosocial support to the sexually abused children. Two methods of data collection were applied: a interview, applied to the mothers involved in this piece of research, and the "Teste do Desenho em Cores da Família" where both mothers and daughters were involved in the trial. Categorization of variables in order to do specific analyses and evaluation protocols concerning the methods were used for data analysis, based on similar research carried out in families. The results have shown that, in general, the studied families presented problems... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

Orientador: Carmen Maria Bueno Neme / Banca: Maria de Fátima Belancieri / Banca: Tania Gracy Martins do Valle / Resumo: Trata-se de estudo que, em sua primeira etapa, utiliza o método documental-quantitativo e visa verificar, a partir da consulta de dados da Vigilância Epidemológica obtidosdo banco de dados do Sistema de Informação e Agravos de Notificação (SINAN) no período de 2009-2012, os índices de casos de mulheres em situação de violência notificados em Bauru/SP. Foram coletadas informações gerais referentes aos registros notificados no SINAN, identificando a tipologia da violência, os dados sociodemográficos, as consequências para a vítima e os encaminhamentos ralizados para órgãos de atendimento, apenas das mulheres com idade igual ou superior a 18 anos. Os dados foram organizados, codificados e submetidos ao teste Estatístico Binomial. Na segunda etapa, realizam-se entrevistas com mulheres em situação de violência sexual visando investigar as vivências de quatro participantes referentes á violência sexual sofrida. Esta amostra foi obtida por meio de consulta aos prontuários do Centro de Referência e Atendimento da Mulher em Situação de Violência (CRAMSV), tendo sido identificados vinte e oito casos, os quais, submetidos aos critérios e elegibilidade do estudo, resultaram em sete casos e destes, quatro casos que puderam participar. As entrevistas foram realizadas individualmente, após convite e procedimentos éticos, utilizando-se o método de Bardin (1977) para a análise de conteúdo das entrevistas. Os resultados indicaram predominância de violência física, (60,89%), seguida de violência sexual (21,14%), sendo que a maioria das mulheres tinha idade superior a 18 anos, baixo nível de escolaridade, e apenas a minoria dos casos recebeu encaminhamentos adequados para a rede de atendimento municipal. Também se observou a inexistência de mecanismos de seguimento dos casos notificados. Evidenciaram-se importantes deificiências no registro dos dados dos casos notificados, obscurecendo a realidade da situação de... / Abstract: This is study, in first stage, uses documentary-quantitative method and aims to verify from the Epidemiological Monitoring of data query obtained from the Information System database and Notifiable Deseases (SINAN) from 2009-2012, rates of cases of women in situations of violence reported in Bauru/SP. General information regarding the records were collected notified in SINAN, identifying the type of violence, sociodemographic data, the consequences for the victims and referrals made to service agencies, only women aged over 18 years. Data were organized, coded and submitted to Estatistic Binomial test. In the second stage, carried out case studies in order to investigate the experiences of four participants regarding suffered sexual violence and consequences, as well as their perception of the aspects that contributed to the overrun or not this life event. This sample was obtained through hospital records Reference Service and Woman's Center on Violence Situation (CRAMSV) with thirty-two cases have been identified, which, subject to the eligibility criteria and the study resulted in ten cases and these four cases that could participate. The interviews were conducted individually after a call and ethinical procedures, using the Bardin's method (1977) for the analysis of the interviews. Results indicated predominance of physical violence (60.89%) followed by sexual violence (21.14%) and most women had the age of 18, low level of education and that only a minority of cases received appropriate referrals to the network of municipal service. We also observed the lack of follow-up mechanisms of the reported cases. Showed up significant deficiencies in the data record of the reported cases, obscuring the reality of the situation of violence against women, despite the notification by the SINAN. The conclusion is thus that the episode of sexual violence suffered by participants in this study showed physical and psychosocial consequences / Mestre

179 p. / Submitted by Simone Silva (simogui@ufba.br) on 2013-01-30T14:58:07Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Thaize de Carvalho - Dissertação.pdf: 1349046 bytes, checksum: 0ae3001748c05895f57c3fb103ecf69d (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Simone Silva(simogui@ufba.br) on 2013-01-30T16:57:04Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Thaize de Carvalho - Dissertação.pdf: 1349046 bytes, checksum: 0ae3001748c05895f57c3fb103ecf69d (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-01-30T16:57:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Thaize de Carvalho - Dissertação.pdf: 1349046 bytes, checksum: 0ae3001748c05895f57c3fb103ecf69d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012 / Junto com a Teoria do Delito e o estudo propedêutico, a Teoria da Pena forma o tríplice alicerce da parte geral do Direito Penal. As críticas que brotam em torno deste ramo do ordenamento jurídico são mais contundentes quando se referem à sanção penal, sua forma de aplicação e execução. Por isso, revisitar as razões que fundamentam a pena é o primeiro passo para apresentar novas formas de tratamento dos eventos rotulados como criminosos. O Estado atua baseando-se em uma racionalidade aflitiva, justificando o seu modo de intervir na prevenção de infrações penais. São as Teorias Relativas que legitimam a sanção penal atual, sob o argumento de prevenir novos conflitos jurídico-penais. Este paradigma dominante está em crise, pois os fins propostos não conseguem ser alcançados. A forma atual de responder aos delitos não é capaz de atender aos anseios de uma sociedade complexa e plural. As causas e as consequências do crime são diversas, como também são os desejos dos envolvidos. Por isso, as partes podem, se assim entenderem, participar da solução do problema, democratizando a resposta aos conflitos rotulados como criminosos. Assim, em observância à Intervenção Mínima, os conflitos podem ser tratados pela Justiça Restaurativa, especialmente os que envolvem relações paritárias, como os são os decorrentes da violência doméstica. Mas não só esta modalidade de violência contra a mulher precisa ser tratada, pois há uma brutalidade estrutural contra as mulheres que também deve ser abordada de forma séria, e até de maneira mais densa do que a doméstica. Nesse contexto, atendendo a uma urgência democrática, apresenta-se a Justiça Restaurativa, um conjunto de práticas em busca de uma teoria, que, através da voluntariedade e do enfrentamento, devolve o conflito às partes. Juntos os envolvidos encontrarão a adequada resposta para aquele conflito. Esta forma de tratar os delitos é mais eficaz porque as partes participam da resolução do conflito, defendendo-se, nesta premissa, a importância autônoma deste procedimento. Dando o alinhamento à pesquisa, investiga-se, ainda, algumas questões relacionadas à construção social dos gêneros feminino e masculino, a fim de demonstrar que as questões relacionadas à violência doméstica são, antes de tudo, problemas de base, para só depois analisar a Lei 11.340/2006, chegando-se, por derradeiro, à conclusão de que o novo paradigma restaurador é muito mais adequado do que o atual paradigma hermético e aflitivo com que o Estado trata esses crimes e os envolvidos neles. / Salvador