Professor to publish two articles in special edition of Canadian Journal of Family Law

Professor Jennifer Koshan has two papers forthcoming in a special volume of the Canadian Journal of Family Law on domestic violence and access to justice.

"Preventive Justice? Domestic Violence Protection Orders and their Intersections with Family and Other Laws and Legal Systems" examines Alberta as a case study for exploring the intersections of civil protection orders, family law, and other legal areas and systems. It addresses several research questions, including: How are family law disputes affected by the presence of civil protection order proceedings, and vice versa? What are the interactions between the criminal and civil protection order systems? What are the access to justice concerns that arise at these intersections and under the civil protection order system more broadly? These questions are answered using mixed methods: a comparative analysis of protection order legislation, a case law review, interviews with Alberta-based lawyers and domestic violence service providers, and observations of protection order hearings. 

"Challenging Myths and Stereotypes in Domestic Violence Cases" identifies the ongoing influence of myths and stereotypes about domestic violence, focusing on the common and evolving misconceptions legal actors have about survivors and the violence they experience. It reviews the literature on myths and stereotypes to catalogue the erroneous assumptions about domestic violence that have been identified and rebutted by scholars and advocates, also exploring why these assumptions can be so entrenched. 

The special volume is the culmination of a cross-Canada research project funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council on which Jennifer was Principal Investigator. A launch of the special volume will be held in Vancouver on March 31. Find out more about the event.