Domestic violence between felony and misdemeanour law of the Republic of Srpska

Abstract

Since May 2020, a new legal solution which treats domestic violence exclusively as a felony has been in force as part of the legislature of the Republic of Srpska. In this article, the author argues against the exclusive treatment of domestic violence as a felony by pointing out that it should also be treated as a misdemeanour but with a clear dividing line. This article presents the results of research conducted to establish the attitudes of judicial bodies concerning the felonization of domestic violence and also present the statistical data from the Basic Court in Bijeljina in connection with this crime. By interpreting the results of the survey, it was concluded that the participants were familiar with the new legal solution regarding the felonization of domestic violence and the consequences that such solutions produce in practice. The majority of them are of the view that the solution that treats domestic violence exclusively as a felony is not beneficial nor is it beneficial for the court to issue urgent/protective measures in misdemeanour procedures. Instead, the court should issue such measures in felony procedures. Also, the participants agree that there has been no increase in the number of prison sentences nor a more stringent penal policy with regard to the perpetrators of domestic violence, and they agree that these individuals typically receive suspended sentences, which is supported by the abovementioned statistical data.