Domestic Violence and Custody Proceedings: An Analysis of Judicial Decisions in Portugal.

Purpose: To understand court decisions in custody cases involving allegations of domestic violence, a qualitative study was conducted among Portuguese family court magistrates. Methods: A nonprobabilistic snowball sampling process, which involved six judges from Portuguese family courts who were aut...

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Publicado en:Journal of Family Violence Vol. 41; no. 1; pp. 195 - 208
Autores principales: Ferreira, Ana Rita, Sani, Ana Isabel
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Springer Nature Jan2026
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: Jan2026
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      pub: Springer Nature
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        10.1007/s10896-024-00739-3
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        atl: Domestic Violence and Custody Proceedings: An Analysis of Judicial Decisions in Portugal.
      aug:
        au:
          Ferreira, Ana Rita
          Sani, Ana Isabel
        affil:
          https://ror.org/04h8e7606 University Fernando Pessoa (UFP), Praça 9 de Abril 349, 4249-004, Porto, Portugal
          https://ror.org/037wpkx04 Research Centre On Child Studies (CIEC), University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
      su:
        Portugal
        Custody of children
        Cross-sectional method
        Qualitative research
        Interviewing
        Decision making
        Courts
        Sound recordings
        Domestic violence
        Communication
        Deception
        Psychology of parents
        Criminal justice system
        Risk assessment
        Research funding
        Statistical sampling
        Portuguese people
        Thematic analysis
        Research methodology
        Data analysis software
      sug:
        subj:
          Custody of children
          Cross-sectional method
          Qualitative research
          Interviewing
          Decision making
          Courts
          Sound recordings
          Domestic violence
          Communication
          Deception
          Psychology of parents
          Criminal justice system
          Portugal
          Courts
          Other Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities
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          Risk assessment
          Research funding
          Statistical sampling
          Portuguese people
          Thematic analysis
          Research methodology
          Data analysis software
      keyword:
        Children
        Court
        Custody
        Judicial decision
        Law and Legal Studies Law Medical and Health Sciences Public Health and Health Services
        Children
        Court
        Custody
        Judicial decision
        Law and Legal Studies Law Medical and Health Sciences Public Health and Health Services
      ab: Purpose: To understand court decisions in custody cases involving allegations of domestic violence, a qualitative study was conducted among Portuguese family court magistrates. Methods: A nonprobabilistic snowball sampling process, which involved six judges from Portuguese family courts who were authorized by the Superior Magistrate's Court to participate in an interview, was used to construct the sample. Results: When the data were analyzed, three main themes emerged, namely, the characteristics of the processes, the factors considered in the judicial decisions, and the impact of shared custody. The results also revealed several legal and extralegal aspects that influence judicial decisions, such as the characteristics of the violence, the mediation process, and the status attributed to victims, suggesting that there are objective and subjective factors in the perpetuation of violence. Conclusions: Allegations of domestic violence in custody proceedings are not uncommon, and these allegations can complicate the process and delay a decision. Efforts by one parent to restrict contact with the other parent raise suspicions of attempted alienation that tend to undermine the risk assessment. There can also be overreliance on shared custody, potentially undermining children's safety. The negative impacts of exposure to domestic violence and the instrumentalization of children are recognized, but it is questionable whether they are being prevented to the extent advocated by the Istanbul Convention. The effectiveness of communication between criminal and family courts is also debatable, despite its importance for protecting victims.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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