Violence Abuse Research Articles

Public Health Aspects of Domestic/Intimate Partner Violence Abuse and Trauma (DIVAT) during COVID-19 Quarantine: Imbalanced Power Dynamic and Sexual, Emotional, and Psychological Abuse.

Public Health Aspects of Domestic/Intimate Partner Violence Abuse and Trauma (DIVAT) during COVID-19 Quarantine: Imbalanced Power Dynamic and Sexual, Emotional, and Psychological Abuse.

Adaptation and validation of the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire-R2 for a national study of child maltreatment in Australia

BackgroundTo establish national prevalence of child maltreatment, reliable, valid and contextually appropriate measurement is needed. This paper outlines the refinement, adaptation and testing of child maltreatment sections of the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire (JVQ)-R2 for use in the Australian context. MethodsThree phases were undertaken: 1) Conceptual analysis of the five forms of child maltreatment (physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional or psychological abuse, neglect, and experience of domestic violence), item mapping and review, item development, and independent expert review; 2) Cognitive testing with members of the general population, and individuals who have experienced maltreatment; and 3) Pilot testing and quantitative psychometric assessment with a random sample of Australians aged 16–65+ years. ResultsThe final measure included a total of 17 child maltreatment screener items, assessing Physical Abuse (2 items), Sexual abuse (5 items (including 2 non-contact items and 3 contact items), Emotional Abuse (3 items), Neglect (3 items), and Experience of Domestic Violence (4 items). Screener items were also included on corporal punishment (1 item), and internet sexual victimization (2 items). The final 17-item revised JVQ had high face and conceptual validity and good internal reliability (α = 0.86 and Ω = 0.87). Test re-test reliability was moderate to high for individual screeners ranging from k = 0.45 to 0.89. ConclusionsResults indicate the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire-R2: Adapted Version (Australian Child Maltreatment Study) is a suitable instrument for assessing population-wide prevalence of maltreatment. It is congruent with conceptual models of maltreatment and shows good reliability and validity in this Australian sample.

Almost 2 years into the COVID-19 pandemic: an update on parental stress, parent mental health, and the occurrence of child maltreatment

Increased parental stress, poorer mental health, and an increase in the occurrence of child maltreatment (CM) have been reported in earlier phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, data from later phases of the pandemic are not yet available. We conducted a cross-sectional, representative survey among 1087 parents (48.8% female; mean age 41.72 years, SD = 9.15) in Germany in December 2021. Data were compared to a previous representative sample, assessed in August 2020 (N = 1024), and to normative scores of the outcome measures. Predictors for the occurrence of CM were analyzed by logistic regression. Pandemic-related stress and general stress were higher and physical and mental health were poorer in the December 2021 sample than in the August 2020 sample. Occurrence rates of CM varied between 5 and 56%. Verbal emotional abuse (n = 607, 56%), witnessing domestic violence (n = 446, 41%), and emotional neglect (n = 435, 40%) were most frequently reported. For these subtypes, parental risk for alcohol abuse (OR 2.1–2.7) and parental recent experience of violence (OR 2.1–5.1) were the strongest predictors. Across all subtypes of CM, parents reporting child maltreatment showed poorer scores on all stress outcomes, with medium–large-effect sizes. Results confirm a high burden within the families, almost 2 years into the pandemic. Occurrence rates of a broad spectrum of CM subtypes raise further concerns for the well-being of children. Family-oriented intervention efforts are needed to stabilize families and provide targeted support. Longitudinal studies are needed for a description of families at risk for poorer outcomes.

‘I bu Delaila ji aguba’: Revisiting the perception of sociopaths in an African community

Reports of increasing family violence abound in Nigeria. Although studies have implicated cultural constructs as the basis for this trend, this study specifically contemplated the nexus between the increased violence and Anti-Social Personality Disorder (ASPD). The purpose of this study was to connect these abusive and violent behaviours in their specific contexts as evidence of ASPD. The study was hinged on autoethnographic research which I systematically analysed as lived experiences with a sociopath. Data for the analyses was drawn from purposively sampled participants (n-70) of victims of family violent abuse. Thematic, interpretative analytical approach and the theories of sociopathy, particularly Hare, Psychopathy Checklist-revised (PCL-R) were used to analyse the data from my personal experiences, and the interviews. The results indicated that only five participants representing 7.14% of the purposively selected population, admitted knowing sociopaths as conscienceless murderers and serial killers. The majority of participants (90%) contemplated sociopaths in religious terms (as incarnated evil beings). Only 2.86% rightly expressed their understanding of sociopathy and related personality disorders in a much-informed manner. Although the results of this study contrast with conventional propositions on ASPD, they revealed how religious belief and superstition among Nigerians frame the conversation on sociopathy and other variants of ASPD. Findings suggested that the growing superstitious beliefs on the causes, nature and remedy to ASPD particularly those associated with sociopathy provide the space for people living with these behavioural conditions (particularly violent sociopaths) to continue abusing unsuspecting individuals in the society. Contribution: The finding of this study specifically challenged the faith-based misconceptions associated with ASPD. Therefore, it is expected that the new insight on ASPD, particularly sociopathy ushers in proper understanding and ways of dealing with the morally insane.

‘I bu Delaila ji aguba’: Revisiting the perception of sociopaths in an African community

Reports of increasing family violence abound in Nigeria. Although studies have implicated cultural constructs as the basis for this trend, this study specifically contemplated the nexus between the increased violence and Anti-Social Personality Disorder (ASPD). The purpose of this study was to connect these abusive and violent behaviours in their specific contexts as evidence of ASPD. The study was hinged on autoethnographic research which I systematically analysed as lived experiences with a sociopath. Data for the analyses was drawn from purposively sampled participants (n-70) of victims of family violent abuse. Thematic, interpretative analytical approach and the theories of sociopathy, particularly Hare, Psychopathy Checklist-revised (PCL-R) were used to analyse the data from my personal experiences, and the interviews. The results indicated that only five participants representing 7.14% of the purposively selected population, admitted knowing sociopaths as conscienceless murderers and serial killers. The majority of participants (90%) contemplated sociopaths in religious terms (as incarnated evil beings). Only 2.86% rightly expressed their understanding of sociopathy and related personality disorders in a much-informed manner. Although the results of this study contrast with conventional propositions on ASPD, they revealed how religious belief and superstition among Nigerians frame the conversation on sociopathy and other variants of ASPD. Findings suggested that the growing superstitious beliefs on the causes, nature and remedy to ASPD particularly those associated with sociopathy provide the space for people living with these behavioural conditions (particularly violent sociopaths) to continue abusing unsuspecting individuals in the society.Contribution: The finding of this study specifically challenged the faith-based misconceptions associated with ASPD. Therefore, it is expected that the new insight on ASPD, particularly sociopathy ushers in proper understanding and ways of dealing with the morally insane.

Policing divided societies. Requirements for the civic education of police officers

PurposeThe demands on the police to ensure security and order have increased in times of growing right-wing extremism, corona protests and widespread criticism of and dissatisfaction with democratic structures and processes. Protection, escort or even confrontation in the course of public demonstrations and protests as well as the protection, e.g. of politicians, synagogues or mosques requires additional deployment of the police and poses extended challenges. However, the police force itself also faces various problems with antidemocratic, violent or extremist police officers. The purpose of this paper is to elaborate why and how civic education of police officers can be a cornerstone to respond to the described challenges and improve democratic policing.Design/methodology/approachThis paper describes how civic education can be organized in police training and further education and how it can be designed in cooperation with civil society actors. It is based on a research and development project conducted between 2016 and 2021 under the title “Civic Education and Police.”FindingsCivic education can or could be an approach in sensitizing police officers to social conflicts and in better understanding the background and reasons for their deployment. Moreover, civic education can be helpful in preventing abuse of power and police violence, reducing negative aspects of esprit de corps and strengthening police legitimacy.Practical implicationsCivic education of police officers can help to understand conflicts and social tensions, strengthen the understanding of the society, improve police investigation, reduce misbehavior and support legitimacy in the democratic state.Originality/valueThe article uses findings from the project Civic Education and Police, which was funded by the Federal Agency for Civic Education between 2016 and 2021. Project partners were the German Police University and the University of Applied Sciences for Police and Public Administration in North Rhine-Westphalia. The project conducted empirical studies on the supply and demand structure of civic education for and in the police. In addition, a database of educational concepts, a series of conferences and a new journal for conference documentation, research and special issues were launched.

Agustín y la violencia sexual ejercida sobre las vírgenes consagradas y la integridad de su castidad en la ‘Epistula’ 111

This paper investigates Augustine’s Letter 111 to expose the Bishop of Hippo’s stand on the problem of violent sexual abuse perpetrated on Catholic nuns and its consequence on their integrity. Having presented the general historical and sociopolitical context in which the letter was written, it surveys the question of violence in Augustine’s epistolary in general. The analysis of the final section of the Letter 111 shows that according to Augustine, despite the defloration of their virginity, raped holy women do not lose their chastity so long as in their mind, they did not consent to lust.

Profiling Human Traffickers

Human trafficking is not a sporadic phenomenon that has consequences for a limited number of people, but a phenomenon with deep social and economic implications, bearing in mind the tendency to benefit from globalization and the use of new technologies. It is spread on every continent and every region of the world with the intention of permanent growth. Although it affects all ages and both sexes, it is dominant about women and girls as victims of human trafficking for sexual exploitation. The forms of exploitation are diverse and all involve the violent exploitation and abuse of human beings and their rights. The causes of this phenomenon are numerous and complex because our everyday life is full of numerous contradictions, conditioned by our existence in a specific global crisis of morality. One of the side effects of this crisis is the ubiquitous alienation of man from man. Therefore, this paper focuses on the importance of profiling human traffickers, their characteristics and modus operandi in the process of recruitment, and the mechanisms they use to control victims. It is one of the ways of reacting to make human trafficking more visible, as part of preventive programs before the belated manifestation. Methods were applied: quantitative and qualitative content analysis, comparative analysis (reaction to human trafficking), and descriptive and analytical statistics. The creative goal is to recognize human trafficking as a crime against humanity that requires an effective response from society.

Reframing masculinity and fatherhood: Narratives on faith-based values in (re)shaping ‘coloured’ fathers

Stereotypes of ‘coloured’ men from marginalised communities in the Western Cape, South Africa, portray these men as violent, lazy, alcoholics, domestic and substance abusers and absent in the lives of their children. Although extensive research has been conducted on fathers and fatherhood, there is still a lack of positive constructions and representations of fatherhood. In narrative interviews with 11 fathers who reside in the Cape Flats, faith-based values were understood as possible restorative avenues for fathers. This article explores how faith-based values are used to redefine what it means to be a man and father but also to (re)negotiate their identity, role and responsibility as men and fathers. From a narrative thematic analysis, the findings present alternative narratives on ‘coloured’ masculinity and fatherhood that show ‘coloured’ fathers to be present and active in their children’s lives.Contribution: This article employed a descriptive modus operandi on masculinity and fatherhood. It focuses on (re)shaping fathers in South Africa to impede father absenteeism in families and communities.

Suicides and Suicidal Ideation During the Perinatal Period: Clinical and Demographic Data

Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for women in the postpartum period. Psychiatric disorders are common in pregnancy, affecting 15-29% of pregnant women, whereas clinical depression affects 10%-15% of them. Women during pregnancy and the postpartum period are particularly vulnerable to suicidal ideation. The prevalence of suicidal ideation ranges from 5% to 14% worldwide, while the rate of suicide during pregnancy and the postpartum period lies between two to three per 100,000 for countries like the UK and the USA. The main risk factor for suicidal ideation in the perinatal period is depression. Other mental illnesses, like schizophrenia, anxiety, bipolar and adjustment disorder, consist of risk factors too. Some of the high-risk social characteristics for suicide thoughts are younger age, unpartnered status and well-being with their marriage, high parity, non-Caucasian race, no health insurance, poor social support, unplanned pregnancy, low-income origin country, unemployment, low educational level and smoking. Obstetrics complications like severe vaginal laceration, low weight infants and admission in the neonatal intensive care unit, perinatal fetal mortality and prior abortions consist of risk factors. Physical, psychological or sexual intimate partner violence, sexual trauma and history of physical or sexual abuse in the army, physical or sexual abuse during childhood, all contribute to suicidal thought. Knowledge of the psychiatric history from the time of enrolment in maternity units, better identification of mental health problems via psychometric screening tools, as well as the use of proper referral and medication, should be the routine in health care services.

The top-100 cited articles on post-traumatic stress disorder: a historical bibliometric analysis

ABSTRACT This is a bibliometric analysis of the most-cited articles on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with the objective of identifying citation patterns for researchers, journals, centers, periods, topics, and nations. A search was conducted in Thomson Reuters’ WoS Core Collection employing the expression TI = (posttraumatic stress disorder OR post-traumatic stress disorder OR PTSD). The 100 most-cited articles were downloaded, and the relevant data were extracted and analyzed. These studies had a total of 69,649 citations, ranging from a minimum of 360 to a maximum of 6029 citations, with an average of 696.49, a standard deviation of 720.92, mode of 369, and a median of 512. Eighty-eight percent of the most-cited articles on PTSD originated from the USA, with just six cities accounting for 52% of the publications and the Boston area alone responsible for almost one-fifth of the total output. The universities of Yale and Harvard headed the ranking of institutions with larger numbers of highly-cited articles. Female researchers represented 42.3% of all authors, 51% of the first authors, and 48% of the corresponding authors. The proportion of M.D. authors decreased significantly between the 1980–1999 (42%) and the 2000–2019 (27.2%) periods while that of Ph.D. authors increased from 44% to 57.4%. The most studied population was military veterans (28%). Female victims of sexual or physical violence, traumatized children, and adult survivors of childhood abuse were assessed in only 6–7% of the most-cited publications. Ten clinical trials evaluated psychological interventions but only three investigated pharmacotherapy. We concluded that influential research on PTSD remains centralized in the USA. A balanced gender representation in publications was found. There was a heavy reliance on combat veterans as the study population. Few highly-cited studies on the pharmacotherapy for PTSD were identified. Focused efforts are needed to address these challenges.

Effects of Cooperation on Health Care after Domestic and Sexualised Violence in Hesse and its Impact on the Implementation of the Istanbul Convention

Domestic and sexual violence are key risks to the health of women. The Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence imposes new requirements on the provision of healthcare. In order to offer an adequate level of healthcare to those affected, cooperation between involved facilities is of high importance. So far, however, surveys on working methods and networking modes in connection with post-violence healthcare have been lacking. A total of 34 manual-based expert interviews were conducted with healthcare professionals in clinics and other healthcare facilities, with staff members of dedicated protective outpatient clinics, coordination or counselling centres and with women's representatives. The interviews were subjected to qualitative content analysis. To date, in Hesse there has been no continuous or structured cooperation between the various healthcare facilities and other actors with regard to the issue of violent abuse. While there exist services in Hesse that specialise in healthcare following sexual and/or domestic violence, cooperation within the healthcare system only occurs on an ad-hoc basis. No healthcare professionals are permanent participants in the regional Round Table initiatives against domestic violence. Adequate provision of care following domestic or sexual violence is currently not guaranteed for those affected. The establishment of a coordination office that is solely responsible for the provision of care to victims of violence could potentially bring the various involved parties together and ensure that continuous efforts are made to address the issue.

The impact of violence on healthcare workers' mental health in conflict based settings amidst COVID-19 pandemic, and potential interventions: A narrative review.

Healthcare workers (HCWs) have faced an increased amount of mental health struggles amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. However, those in conflict-based settings with fragile healthcare systems meet additional challenges. This study reviews violence, conflict and mental health among HCWs in five countries: Syria, Palestine, Yemen, Afghanistan and Lebanon. Our study reports that HCWs are targeted by violence, bombings, mistreatment and different forms of abuse, including verbal and physical. With the additional burdens of the pandemic including prolonged working hours, limited resources and insufficient humanitarian aid, the healthcare workers fall victim to increased levels of burnout and mental illnesses. The situation leads to dire consequences on their personal lives and professional development, compelling them to quit their job or country all together. Although healthcare workers remain resilient in these conflict-based settings, immediate interventions are required to prevent violence against them and cater to their rapidly declining mental health.

Effectiveness of Firearm Restriction, Background Checks, and Licensing Laws in Reducing Gun Violence

We present the rationale behind four types of laws that restrict access to firearms for those who are deemed to be a high risk for future gun violence and two types of laws that implement firearm purchase prohibitions. We also present evidence on the effectiveness of these laws. Broadly, these are laws that restrict access for domestic violence abusers, individuals convicted of misdemeanor violence, and individuals at high risk of violence against themselves or others. We briefly discuss relinquishment of firearms by those who are newly restricted, but we focus mainly on how purchase restrictions are implemented by the federal government and across states. Extant research shows that well-implemented firearm policy that is based on evidence-based risk factors can be effective in reducing firearm injury.

A pragmatics study on verbal abuse against women and children by Bengkulu communities on social-media, at schools, and in families

This study aims to discuss verbal abuse against women and children on social media, at schools, and in families by Bengkulu communities in the coastal areas of the Bengkulu province. The verbal abuse was viewed in the use of the language based on pragmatic studies in terms of language functions, presuppositions and implicatures, language politeness, and the reaction of the community in every case of violence, especially family and society in this case family and society, in this case, social media. The design of this study was qualitative research with a phenomenology paradigm. This study involved 35 informants that spread on social media, at schools, and in families with a purposive sampling technique. The dataere gathered through documentation and covert observation. The data were analyzed in three stages: data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. The triangulation technique was done by involving experts in pragmatics and women activists. The results revealed that there were 35 data on verbal abuse with details of 10 data on verbal abuse on social media, 13 data on violent verbal abuse in the family environment, and 12 data on verbal violence at school that occurred in Bengkulu province in the last three years (2018-2020). The verbal abuses occurred in the form of disrespectful words, bullying, cyberbullying, words that are considered demeaning, insulting, intimidating, blasphemous, homophobic, sarcastic, yelling, cursing, ridiculing, yelling, slander, harsh words, scolding, and nagging excessively, cold, and humiliating in public.

30.3 Peer-Assisted Trauma-Focused CBT for Black and Hispanic Teens With Traumatic Stress Reactions to COVID-19–Related Deaths

COVID-19 infections and deaths have disproportionately impacted African American and Latino communities in the United States, further compounding the health disparities affecting them. For inner-city youth, the death of a caregiver related to COVID-19 added yet another potentially traumatic event in addition to violent injury, community violence, child abuse, domestic violence, parental incarceration, or deportation. This presentation describes the use of trauma-focused CBT (TF-CBT), trauma-and grief-focused components supplemented by case management for youth who experienced COVID-19–related deaths and violence.

Adults Suffering from Violence Are at Risk of Poor Prognosis in Taiwan, 2000-2015.

Objective: To understand the risk of developing a poor prognosis in adulthood after violent injury in Taiwan. Methods: This study used the data of outpatients, from emergency departments, and from hospitalization of 2 million people under National Health Insurance from 2000 to 2015. The ICD-9 diagnostic code N-code was defined as the case of this study and was 995.8 (abused adult) or E-code was E960-E969 (homicide and intentional injury by others) The first violent injury of 18–64-year-old adults (the study group) was analyzed. Patients who had not suffered violent abuse were the control group. The groups were matched in a 1:4 ratio, and the paired variables were gender, age ±1 year, Charlson Comorbidity index (CCI) before exposure, and year of medical treatment. SAS 9.4 statistical software was used, and the Cox regression method was used for data analysis. Results: During the 15-year period, a total of 8726 people suffered from violence (34,904 controls). The incidences of common poor prognoses among the victims of violence were sleep disorder, anxiety, and depression, in 33.9%, 21.6%, and 13.2% of people, respectively. The risk (Adults, Overall) of developing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), bipolar disorder, and manic disorder after being violently injured (average 9 years) was 34.86, 4.4, and 4.1 times higher than those who had not suffered violence (all p values < 0.01). The risk (Adults, Males) of developing PTSD, bipolar disorder, and manic disorder after being violently injured (average 9 years) was 30.0, 3.81, and 2.85 times higher, respectively, than those who had not suffered violence (all p values < 0.01). The risk (Adults, Females) of developing PTSD, manic disorder, and bipolar disorder after being violently injured (average 9 years) was 36.8, 6.71, and 5.65 times higher, respectively, than of those who had not suffered violence (all p values < 0.01). Conclusion: The risks of poor prognosis are higher in adults who have suffered violent abuse than in those who have not. Therefore, police, social workers, and medical personnel should pay attention to the mental state of victims of violence. They should aim to support prompt treatment, to avoid PTSD, bipolar disorder, manic disorder, etc.

Analisis Semiotika Kekerasan Dalam Film Drama Korea The Penthouse: War In Life I

Analysis of Semiotics of Violence in the Korean Drama Film The Penthouse: War In Life Season 1 (Representation of Violence Scenes in Impressions of 15 Years of Age)" is the title of this study. This study aims to examine how The Penthouse: War In Life Season 1 of the Korean drama film The Penthouse depicts violence in the fifteen-year-old program. Representation theory and semiotic theory were employed by the author to analyze this research. The scene from The Penthouse: War in Life Season 1 of the Korean drama film serves as the subject of this study. The approach is a qualitative descriptive approach. With Charles Sanders Pierce's model's semiotic analysis technique, which employs the idea of triangle meaning, namely: sign (sign), sign reference (object), and use of sign (interpretant). The findings of this study can be seen in the way that the Korean drama film The Penthouse: War In Life Season 1 depicts symbols, items, and interpreters that are synonymous with violence. starting with murder, abuse of others' rights, bullying, and psychological violence.

Predicting Domestic Abuse (Fairly) and Police Risk Assessment.

Domestic abuse victim risk assessment is crucial for providing victims with the correct level of support. However, it has been shown that the approach currently taken by most UK police forces, the Domestic Abuse, Stalking, and Honour Based Violence (DASH) risk assessment, is not identifying the most vulnerable victims. Instead, we tested several machine learning algorithms and propose a predictive model, using logistic regression with elastic net as the best performing, that incorporates information readily available in police databases, and census-area-level statistics. We used data from a large UK police force including 350,000 domestic abuse incidents. Our models made significant improvement upon the predictive capacity of DASH, both for intimate partner violence (IPV; AUC = .748) and other forms of domestic abuse (non-IPV; AUC = .763). The most influential variables in the model were of the categories criminal history and domestic abuse history, particularly time since the last incident. We show that the DASH questions contributed almost nothing to the predictive performance. We also provide an overview of model fairness performance for ethnic and socioeconomic subgroups of the data sample. Although there were disparities between ethnic and demographic subgroups, everyone benefited from the increased accuracy of model-based predictions when compared with officer risk predictions.

Violent abuse of power or official authorities by a law enforcement officer (comparative analysis and problems of legislation improvement)

Introduction. The article gives a criminal-legal characterization of the violent abuse of power or official authorities by a law enforcement officer. The importance of establishing criminal law signs of physical or mental violence in each case of such a criminal offense is indicated. It is concluded that the changes that were made to Article 365 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine cannot be considered successful. It is pointed out that the national criminal legislation cannot develop effectively if foreign experience in combating crime by criminal law means is not taken into account. The use of the comparative method in legal research is an important mean of improving the theory and practice of applying any legislation, including criminal law. Its only purpose should be to eliminate flaws in criminal legislation. Summary of the main research results. The paper provides a comparative legal analysis of national and foreign legislation on criminal responsibility for violent abuse of power and official authority. On this basis, it was concluded that it is necessary to introduce foreign experience in criminal law counteraction to violent abuse of power or official authority. According to the author, the provisions that should be introduced into national legislation are as follows: the subject of abuse of power or official authority should be any official, and not just a law enforcement officer; as a qualified element of this criminal offense, the commission of an excess with the use of physical violence or the threat of using such violence should be added; recognition of the inexpediency of indicating the infliction of bodily harm directly by excess of power or official authority; in the event of death, serious bodily injury or suicide of the victim, the actions of the perpetrator must be qualified under the relevant part of Art. 365 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine on the grounds of the onset of grave consequences; the motives and purpose of committing such a criminal offense should not affect the qualification, but should be taken into account when imposing criminal punishment on the perpetrators. The article analyzes the rulings of the Judicial Chamber for Criminal Cases of the Supreme Court of Ukraine, which determine the ratio of parts 1 and 2 of Article 365 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine on the specifics of qualifying forcible abuse of power or official authority and the need to establish the monetary equivalent of non-property damage in cases of such a criminal offense. The author proposes to change the approaches of judicial practice in the latter case. In preparing the article, general scientific and special methods were used. Thus, dogmatic and formal-legal methods were used in the analysis of the criminal law norm, which provides for criminal responsibility for violent abuse of power or official authority. The comparative method was applied when comparing the criminal legislation of Ukraine with the corresponding norms of the laws on criminal responsibility of other countries. A statistical method was used to study legal practice. Conclusions. The article draws scientifically based conclusions and offers author's recommendations for improving the current legislation on criminal responsibility for abuse of power or official authority by a law enforcement officer, namely: it is proposed to recognize all officials as the subject of this criminal offense; as a qualified element of this criminal offense, the commission of an excess with the use of physical violence or the threat of using such violence should be taken into account; it is not appropriate to indicate in the law directly to the infliction of bodily harm in excess of power or official authority; in the event of the death of the victim or the infliction of grievous bodily harm on him, the actions of the perpetrator must be qualified under the relevant part of Art. 365 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine on the grounds of the onset of grave consequences; he motives and purpose of committing such a criminal offense should not affect the qualification, but should be taken into account when imposing criminal punishment on the perpetrators; physical, mental and other non-property harm in case of violent abuse of power or official authority should not be assessed according to the rules for causing property damage (one hundred or more times the non-taxable minimum income of citizens). The need for a legislative definition of the concept of physical and mental violence is indicated.