Thank you to Attorney General Paul Morrison for creating a special unit in the office to help combat domestic violence. The unit is developing best practices to share with local law enforcement and prosecutors on handling domestic abuse calls, arrests and criminal cases. It also will look at possible legislation and help seek grant money for organizations that focus on domestic violence.
The Wichita Police Department worked 590 domestic violence cases from January to June of this year. But that is likely a fraction of the problem, as many instances of violence go unreported.
Morrison’s unit should particularly help smaller counties with limited resources do a better job with these cases. But making domestic violence a criminal justice priority should benefit the entire state.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
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16 Comments
Indeed, this is a tragic problem and I’m glad Morrison stepped up to the plate.
Lot of scared moms and kids out there. It shouldn’t be that way.
I know, there are men that are abused, but it’s not exactly a major problem imo.
There are many things that need to happen. 1. Attorneys and Judges need to pull their heads out in divorce cases and PFA’s involving domestic abuse. I don’t care how many women have gone back, and I don’t care how many times an individual has done so. Laughing at them and belittling them, and flat out not listening to them isn’t going to make things better for them…it will only make it WORSE.
We need accountability to those attorneys and judges who act that way in the courtroom too. There used to be a program that would go with the women to courts and to their attorneys and report back to the citizens of the county how they handled these cases.
Yes, one reported abuse means many many more were likely to have happened. ER’s and doctor offices should take this kind of stuff seriously. They should know what to look for.
Lastly, individually. If you know someone who is being abused, talk to them- or better yet, just write down information on what to do when they’re ready to leave. The best thing one neighbor did for me was hand me a card as I passed her by one day. It said where to call, what to start preparing for…like have a hidden key…like where to stash some money…like keep extra meds.It was most helpful.
And don’t judge these women. I know it’s frustrating, but they are the only ones who can really evaluate their own situation. Leaving at a time when they’re not ready can endanger them more.
Thank you Paul, for addressing this issue. My nightmare has long been over, but I know there are so many who are now in that position.
Having lived in a home with plenty of it, my feelings are mixed. While I hate it I also believe that people make choices in life and one of the biggest is choosing a mate. If you choose to be with somebody that beats you and abuses you, I don’t think that the police and the state can- or should- really interfere in that relationship. Time and time again, women get a whuppin and they haul the man off to jail and then the woman drops all charges and takes “Mr Charm” back into her life and home. And repeat and repeat. The police have better things to spend their time on and the taxpayers have better things to spend their money on. That said, IF the woman, in a rare show of sanity, decides to correct her mistake and leave Mr Charm, then we should support her even if that means providing temporary housing to her and her kids or running the man out of the house. And if he violates a keep away order, it should result in jail with no bail and even prison if necesesary.
Why were 10,000 women beaten in Kansas last year?
BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T LISTEN!
Kev and the Righteous Man are examples of the blame-the-victim thinking of alot of men, all too often men in positions of power within the criminal justice system. Most men are not violent, but most men are silent about male violence against women. Men who batter are particularly good about shifting the responsibility and accountability for their violence elsewhere, especially onto the women (and often children)who are their victims. Abusive men are experts at explaining away their violence — “I just lost it,” “if she hadn’t said that,” “if she had simply done what I told her to,” “I couldn’t take her backtalk anymore” are some examples. When the Righteous Man says that 10,000 women were beaten in Kansas because they didn’t listen, it completely absolves all those abusive men of their violence. And for Kev, he might want to read something about how domestic violence relationships develop. Physical violence usually happens after the relationship has developed at which point women have invested in the relationship and are subject to many pressures and reasons why they don’t leave. Some of those reasons involve complications with children, fear of retaliation from him, economic restrictions and dependency, family pressures and disapproval, no alternative living choices — the list goes on. Unfortunatley, too many men like Kev and The Righteous Man prefer to make women responsible for men’s violence against them. It’s the easy way out.
You are right on target regarding the way many men think and talk or just remain silent on this subject. That is why this Morrison initiative is so important – because it covers the entire state, and the woman in charge has personally prosecuted more DV cases in this state than anyone else. It is also important because this is a way to provide safety to children so that they can learn and flourish in stable and constructive environs. If we can improve the well-being of children – whether it is with respect to preventative health and dental care, shielding them from sex abuse and the ravages of parental addictive behavior, provding pre-K schooling or eliminating DV, it is a worthy goal. This tragedy behind our closed doors has gone on toooo long.
What a refreshing idea that our current Kansas Attorney General is actually trying to do something to prevent domestic violence.
I am just wondering why this issue was not tackled by Phill Kline? In all Kline’s years of beating the anti-abortion drum – maybe some of those abortions would not have happened if Kline were actually trying to do something about domestic violence.
Does anyone have any statistics about how domestic violence and abortions correlate? I consider incest to be domestic violence and I know that abortions factor into that equation.
Domestic violence is a right of every man. It’s ridiculous the state steps in and tells you how to run your household. This is just another example of the erosion of our civil rights, people.
Having prosecuted many DV cases, it boils down, as a prosecutor, to one thing: if you can make a winnable case, prosecute. Even if the victim doesn’t want prosecution (as is often the case). There are ways, in many cases, to make a case even without the victim’s cooperation. I’ve even won a case where the victim didn’t show up for trial (of course, I had a lovely tape of the abuse as it was happening – it’s a long story!). It can be done. Do NOT tolerate this abuse, even if the victim, out of fear, misguided “love,” whatever, wants you to drop prosecution. Prosecute.
Offer the victim safe house services assistance in getting herself (it’s almost always “her”) set up independently. Offer any other assistance you may have.
But prosecute the case. This crime has been hidden and accepted for far too long.
I’m with the AG on this one.
BTW – Angel, Rightous Man (what a misnomer that is): MEN don’t beat their partners. Period. And those who accept and tolerate those who do aren’t men either.
While I wholeheartedly agree with Morrison and others on the need to protect women from abusive men I would note that the reverse is also often true. Abusive women enjoy an advantage in our system. The Courts and others refuse to even acknowledge the existence of that sort of abuse. And, if a man simply defends himself, HE ends up in jail. The he gets raped in the Court with alimony, support, and all the rest.
Let’s make the entire system more even-handed.
“And for Kev, he might want to read something about how domestic violence relationships develop. Physical violence usually happens after the relationship has developed at which point women have invested in the relationship and are subject to many pressures and reasons why they don’t leave. Some of those reasons involve ”
Speaking from personal observation, this is usually NOT the case. Usually this type of stuff shows up quite early in a relationship. It might begin with yelling and cussing as well as jealousy and possessive tendencies on the part of the man. A man who is insecure and possessive of a woman WILL WILL WILL eventually resort to abuse. You might think foolishly that you will change such a man but you won’t change him. And he will change you from a once proud and nice woman into a marked up heap with abused puppy syndrome. And, instead of running from that son of a bitch like you should, you will have kids for him thinking and hoping that will change him and then find it only makes him worse because now he has you and the kids to kick around. I have always told my daughter that the signs are always there. Right from the get go. You can tell what kind of man this is going to be from the first date. And if he drinks excessively, cusses excessively, drives agressively than you need to RUN RUN RUN the other way because that man WILL WILL WILL eventually beat on you.
The best way to deal with an abusive man?? Listen to “Earl” by the Dixie Chicks!
Well Kev, if we all had such wisdom in our years, this probably would never be an issue. However, Life isn’t quite so easy now is it? Sometimes it is being young and dumb, and sometimes it’s from a lifetime of low self esteem where the women fall into the same patterns of codependent tendencies that our families set up for us.
DV crosses all socioeconomic lines. So it’s not merely poor women or uneducated women. Some of the meanest men are the most successful, and they use that power to weild even more control.
And Ben talking about abusive women is in NO WAY near what abused women go through. Of course there are abusive women. And they should be arrested, but I have yet to see men so beaten down by the women in their lives in the same manner as it happens to women. Men are bigger. It is harder for women to defend themselves.
We have a society in America that endorses violence – not just domestic violence. Just look at our movies, music, television and our sports games nowadays. What would a hockey game be without the fighting? Baseball and basketball games being played by millionaires are interrupted by fighting breaking out.
What is it with our society that we tolerate such behavior – and in the cases of the sports figures – we heap even more fame and adoration onto the offending players.
So when an insecure man starts beating his wife and/or kids, we as a society look the other way and try to blame the woman for not leaving the abusive man.
What is a single mother going to do when her self esteem is so low to start with. And her work skills – where are they? Who is going to hire an unskilled woman with kids? Even if she is hired, she will be making less than living wages and she would make more money off welfare – so she winds up on welfare and then society shuns her for that.
It is a vicious cycle and we as a society are a part of it. Whatever happened to right and wrong? Who changed the rules and let the bad guys win?
Some women deserve to be beat.
And some men deserve to be neutered, Angel.