Thasia frazzini Class ELED 102 PC October 26th 2011
Research Project
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND EDUCATION
The subject of Domestic Violence, and it's victims is one I spend a lot of time studying. I have personally been involved in writing and teaching the prevention of Domestic Violence in the City of Erie Schools for over eight years. Around the year 2000 I interviewed a state corrections officer for the correction facility in Albion PA. She explained the program they had then for the offenders that were incarcerated for domestic violence offenses deadly or non deadly as they were characterized at that time.
I thought the program they were using was ingenious, and attempted to find out if that was still their practice currently, and could not confirm it. At that time in the year 2000, when a perpetrator entered the system at Albion he was mandated to enroll in this program. Day one; they entered a counseling session where they were treated along the lines of AA meeting. They would come in and tell their side of the story. Initially that story would be about how the victim pushed the perpetrators button, had asked for it and similar comments. The inmates who had been in the program for some time would challenge these perpetrators in a way they never had been challenged before. "So, you are saying she asked for it, or she likes it, well you are a liar!" They would add comments like, "You are a looser who can't control yourself. You, had a great woman and because you are a whiny baby, you lost control and hurt the one you loved. Real men are in control of their body and emotions.We know this because at one time we were that stupid also."
Every day of therapy, while a newbie tried to blame someone else for being there, he was challenged and belittled, much like he did to his victim. There would come a point where they would come to the understanding, and admit, "OK, you're right. I couldn't control myself." Or something to that effect. Then the inmates who were running the program would praise them and help them with counseling and anger management suggestions. The program was four months long. As soon as someone completed his four months, he went back in to the program. Eventually the inmates who got it, began to run the program. They were more effective than having a guard or psychologist, because they understood both sides of the argument. When I spoke with the corrections officer in 2000, the program had been running this way and been a model for nearly ten years.
I located a couple graphs that show certain violent crimes are down in Pennsylvania.
That would be Article 1 and Article 2
Article # 3 has a small blurb on the website of the American Bar Association, where they are working on funding so that every victim gets proper legal representation and protection during a case. That is so hopefully victims are alive to be represented, because laws and protection orders are working. I for one am very excited that now each victim has representation and guidance. Perpetrators used to threaten victims into not filing or testifying against the abuser. In Pennsylvania, if an officer of the court, police, attorney, judge, and even doctors and emergency room personnel observe injury or evidence of violence they must file the abuse report, thus leaving the victim to not appear to the abuser as the force behind his incarceration or other punishment
I spent time as a advocate for victims and would accompany the victim to the PFA hearing. A PFA is the Protection From Abuse order. That is where the facts on a reported incident are laid out for a judge to decide if there is enough evidence of abuse to award the victim a PFA. I have observed for myself how abusers would turn their anger from the victim to the advocate. Their apparent thinking is that the victim wouldn't get a PFA if it were not for the advocate pushing them into it. When in reality, the victim wouldn't pursue a PFA if the abuser had not abused.
In Article 4 I have enclosed a Review of Standards for Batterer Intervention Programs
Article 1: After you click on this link, a page will appear with a list to the left side. Click on Violent Crime, and then click on five year chart. This graph shows a consistent improvement in the last five years. The hope is that Programs such as the one in Albion help to keep an abuser from recidivism.
Article 2: As in the last graph, after you click on this link, and then click on violent crime, you next click on
5 year percent change summary. Once again it shows in a different form that crime in this area is down significantly.
Article 3: has a small blurb on the website of the American Bar Association, where they are working on funding so that every victim gets proper legal representation and protection during a case.
Article 4: A Review of Standards for Batterer Intervention Programs
VAWnet.org.
National online Resource Center on Violence Against Women
Article four is a large representation of facts surrounding the incarceration of perpetrators and statistics on how they are handled. This article was written in 2000. I had difficulty finding more recent articles that were in the PDF format. This is still current thought and perception in the field today even though they were written some time ago.
As you peruse this information a bit past the half way point, and below the sub title, Positive and Negative Aspects of Standards, beside the # 4 you will see PA. mentioned in a very positive way. I am proud that we have worked hard to create a model that seems to be working.
It is my hope that this Blog helped you to understand how important the work that has been done and yet to come is for the victims, perpetrators and the rest of society. Thanks for tuning in!
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