Women, Children, and Men Die with Partisan Politics
By Casey Gwinn, JD

Last month, as the battle raged to pass the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) in the United States Senate, over 150 women, men, and children were killed in this country in domestic violence related incidents.  The deaths included police officers killed responding to domestic violence incidents and officers killed by men with a history of violence against women.  Indeed, more people died in domestic violence related murders last month than did American soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan.  No one questions our responsibility to do everything possible to protect American soldiers in combat but partisan politics were still on display in the battle to pass VAWA in the U.S. Senate.

As I write this, the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act is now awaiting passage in the House of Representatives.  The Senate finally passed the Act but now we await action by the House.  Their responsibility is very simple really.  Pass the Violence Against Women Act and send it to the President for his signature.  Some Republicans appear to be posturing and are proposing a different version of the Act to reduce funding and take out provisions they do not like around protecting victims in same sex relationships, victims on tribal lands, and undocumented immigrant victims.  I urge the Republicans not to do it.  Women, children, and men die when we play politics with domestic violence prevention efforts.

The Violence Against Women Act, since being passed in 1994, has never been a partisan battle.  Republicans and Democrats have always come together to stand united against domestic violence, elder abuse, stalking, and sexual assault.  Leaders with integrity must advocate for such a bi-partisan approach again.

Over the last 18 years, all of us working to stop domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking have seen firsthand the amazing successes of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).  Having handled these cases before and after VAWA, it is clear to me that VAWA changed the face of our national response to violence against women, men, and children.  We have made amazing progress but women, men, and children are still dying.  Millions of women, men, and children are still being abused and we must stand in solidarity and continue striving to stop intimate partner violence in this country.  No one who truly supports public safety in our communities should be opposed to the re-authorization of VAWA.

While those of us working in the domestic violence movement enthusiastically support the entire VAWA, including the key provisions around support for shelters, tribal services, assistance for children exposed to violence, and civil legal services, I want to focus on the most important section of VAWA for stopping criminal offenders.  Most of this work is connected to the Title I, Grants to Encourage Arrest Program and Enforcement of Protection Orders Program.  VAWA reauthorization will help us stop the domestic terrorism that continues to take lives and destroy families across this country.

The Grants to Encourage Arrest Policies and Enforcement of Protection Orders Program (Grants to Encourage Arrest Program) has been a critical, central piece of the Violence Against Women Act since it was passed by Congress in 1994.  The Program has focused on enhancing the criminal justice system response to domestic violence and sexual assault by funding specialized domestic violence units in prosecutors offices and law enforcement agencies, coordinated community response initiatives, Family Justice Centers, and other specialized initiatives designed to increase accountability for criminal domestic violence and sexual assault offenders and increase safety for victims of abuse and their children.  Congress’ support for this program has saved many lives!  No member of Congress should step back from this success now.

The Grants to Encourage Arrest Program has been reviewed regularly since 1996 and the effectiveness of programs that receive funding has been well documented.  Undisputed outcomes from Grants to Encourage Arrest Program-funded policies and programs include:

• Arrest and prosecution of offenders deters future abuse (Maxwell, C., Garner, J. and Fagan, J. (2001). The Effects of Arrest on Intimate Partner Violence: New Evidence from the Spouse Assault Replication Program, National Institute of Justice Research in Brief, Washington D.C.:U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice, NCJ 188199);

• Specialized domestic violence units in law enforcement agencies produce better on-scene investigations, better follow up investigations, and higher filing rates for misdemeanor and felony cases (Townsend, M., Hunt, D., Kuck, S. & Baxter, C. (2006). Law Enforcement Response to Domestic Violence Calls for Service, Washington D.C.:U.S. Department of Justice, 99-C-008 National Institute of Justice, NCJ 215915; See also Klein, A. (2008) Practical Implications of Current Domestic Violence Research at http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/222319.pdf);

• Specialized prosecution units result in increased conviction rates, greater accountability and monitoring of offenders, reduced recidivism, and increased community collaboration (See Gwinn, C. & Strack, G. (2006) Hope for Hurting Families: Creating Family Justice Centers Across America, Volcano Press, Chapter 7, pp. 91-118; Ford, D. & Breall, S. (2001) Violence Against Women: Synthesis of Research for Prosecutors at http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/199660.pdf); Smith, B., Davis, R., Nickles, L. & Davies, H. (2001) An Evaluation of Efforts to Implement No-Drop Policies: Two Central Values in Conflict, American Bar Association);

• Coordinated community response efforts increase victim safety, reduce violence and abuse, and increase efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery (Gamache, D., Edleson, J., & Schock, M. (1988). Coordinated Police, Judicial and Social Services Responses to Woman Battering: A Multi-Baseline Evaluation Across Three Communities. In G. Hotaling, D. Finkelhor, J. Kirkpatrick & M. Straus (1989) (Eds.) Coping with Family Violence. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage);

• Family Justice Centers and other multi-agency, co-located service delivery models have resulted in: reduced homicides; increased victim safety; increased autonomy and empowerment for victims; reduced fear and anxiety for victims and their children; reduced recantation and minimization by victims when wrapped in services and support; increased efficiency in collaborative services to victims among service providers; increased prosecution of offenders; and dramatically increased community support for services to victims and their children through the family justice center model (http://www.justice.gov/archive/ovw/docs/family_justice_center_overview_12_07.pdf; See also Gwinn, C. & Strack, G., Dream Big: A Simple, Complicated Idea to Stop Family Violence (2010) (Wheatmark)); Strack, G. & Gwinn, C., Dream Big, Start Small: How to Start and Sustain A Family Justice Center (2012).

• Coordinated law enforcement services coupled with strong, empathetic treatment of victims when they seek help encourages future reporting and enhances accountability for repeat offenders (Friday, P., Lord, V., Exum, M. & Hartman, J.) (2006). Evaluating the Impact of a Specialized Domestic Violence Police Unit. Washington D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, 2004-WG-BX-0004, National Institute of Justice, NCJ 215916;

Let me say it again:  No one truly committed to public safety in America should be opposing the reauthorization of VAWA.  Indeed, VAWA is the foundation upon which public safety is built because in America, the vast majority of all criminals we deal with in the criminal and civil justice systems are coming out of homes filled with domestic violence, child abuse, and usually some mix of drugs and alcohol (Karr-Morse, R. & Wiley, M., Ghosts from the Nursery: Tracing the Roots of Violence, Atlantic Monthly Press, New York, 1997; The Effects of Woman Abuse on Children: Psychological and Legal Authority, 2nd Edition, National Center on Women and Family Law, New York, 1994).  Stopping these offenders is the best way to break the vicious generational cycle of family violence in this country.

The reauthorization of VAWA will allow many of us working in the criminal justice system to continue our work to stop violent offenders, provide services to victims and their children, and ensure the protections of VAWA extend to all victims regardless of gender, race, language, immigration status, or sexual orientation.  Partisan politics should play no role in this struggle to stop the violence and abuse that is destroying the lives of women, children, men, and families.  Every Democrat, Republican, and Independent should support VAWA re-authorization.  It is a life and death public safety issue.

In Memory of Ellen Pence

Today, Ellen Pence won her struggle with cancer.  She soared above it.  She did not let it take her soul, love, joy, beauty, or power.  She is now at peace.  Her pain is gone.  Her happiness is complete and she has finished the race with glory.  She was a mentor and friend to me and many others.  She taught me over 25 years ago to try to see the world as it should be but to never ignore how it really is.  She lived life with so much passion, determination, and humor.  She, more than most people I have ever known, changed the world.  The world is a different place because Ellen Pence invested her life in helping others.  Her work resulted in saving thousands of lives and helped break the cycle of violence for millions of people who never even heard the name “Ellen Pence”. And hundreds of communities, systems, agencies, and people altered the course of their work and lives because of Ellen.  I am one of those many.

I loved Ellen Pence.  I always will. She was beautiful inside and out.  She was brilliant. She was tireless.  She was the living embodiment of the word “advocate”.

There was never a time I saw her that she did not challenge me and encourage me all at the same time.  Last year, I had the chance to videotape with her in St. Paul for five hours.  I will cherish those hours for the rest of my life.  Battling her illness, she talked for hours and shared her views, beliefs, and lessons learned throughout her life.  At the end of the interview, I got to ask her two more questions.  First, I asked her what she thought mattered the most in her work over the years…what had the most impact on victims and their children.  She did not hesitate.  She said “support groups.”  Ellen said the most powerful impact she ever had was running support groups and helping survivors learn from each other and support each other.  Then, I asked her if she had her life to do over again what she would do differently in her work.  She said that if she could do it over again she would have invested in things that took longer to do.  She said it was a mistake to put all her eggs in the criminal justice system basket as far as systems and culture change.  But Ellen was being humble.  Her mistakes in life whatever they might have been did not in any way reduce her power or impact.  She was a giant of social change.

Of all the things I loved about Ellen, her sense of humor was near the top of the list.  She had an ability to use humor without demeaning others.  She could use sarcasm without putting people down.  And she could get anyone doing bad work with victims to laugh at themselves one minute and then change their behavior the next minute.  She could zero in on the problems in leaders and agencies and be boldly critical and insightful and they would still love her, respect her, and want to make the changes she was advocating for with them.

Ellen’s legacy will live on through the lives of family members, friends, advocates, colleagues, and thousands of others who she touched directly and indirectly.  We will never forget her, we will always revere her, and we will continue to be her voice in a world still so desperately in need of Ellen’s relentless vision.

Casey

Looking Forward Into 2012

Happy New Year, to all our friends and supporters around the world!  We wish you a year blessed with fulfilled expectations, realized dreams, and stunning accomplishments.

As we begin 2012, the Family Justice Center movement is alive and well.  This next year, more communities and agencies will look to add partners, expand service models, or develop multi-agency, multi-disciplinary Centers to serve victims of domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault, elder abuse, and/or human trafficking than ever before.  This next year we will likely see our 100th Family Justice Center open.  We will work with committed police officers, prosecutors, advocates, elected officials, business, and community leaders in communities around the world.  We will meet survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault who have overcome violence and abuse and now celebrate safety and freedom.

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“It Is Domestic Violence Awareness Month – Are We Aware?”
By Casey Gwinn, J.D.

As we celebrate Domestic Violence Awareness Month across America, the struggle to reduce and prevent domestic violence and related sexual assault rages.  Each week this month approximately 20 women, men, children, and police officers have died in family violence related incidents (an average of four per day). Last week, the Topeka City Council decriminalized domestic violence in an effort to save money.  Sadly, many communities are prosecuting less abusers and holding less violent offenders accountable for their violence against women, children, and men even though they don’t get the attention like Topeka.  Even with strong support from the Obama Administration, less and less resources are available in local communities even as the amount and type of violence increases.  And as I write today, we are in week 12 of a series of domestic violence mass murders or near mass murders that have swept across America. Not including the daily array of murders and murder-suicides, forty-six people have died in nine domestic violence-related murders since July 8, 2011 and there has been no national media or public awareness about this epidemic of deaths.
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“First Responders”
by Gael Strack

Rolando had just fled the scene.  I watched him speed away, weaving recklessly through heavy commuter traffic on Interstate 5.  Cynthia said he was likely headed for Mexico — a mad man, consumed with rage, oblivious to everything around him.  She was sitting in the backseat of my car, crying softly.  My heart was racing. I couldn’t believe what I had just witnessed and I couldn’t believe I was the only person who was willing to stop and help Cynthia.  It was 6:51 am.  I called 911.

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