While doing research for a book, I met a woman in Mississippi who had been beaten by her boyfriend. She was in the hospital for days. But her case was never prosecuted. After some digging, I discovered that the local prosecutor hadn’t prosecuted a single domestic violence case in 21 years. “Has it been that long?” the prosecutor asked after I told him what I had found. Yes. That long. Resources were scarce, he explained, so he focused on prosecuting cases that he thought he could win. But…

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Read more stories by Amy Bach.