Our thoughts and prayers go out to Nancy’s family and friends. She will be remembered…
Showing posts with label Child Witness of Domestic Violence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Child Witness of Domestic Violence. Show all posts
November 23, 2013
March 11, 2012
New center helps families of domestic violence with supervised visits, child exchanges
Huge Kudos for this center!!! Mary and I were just discussing the other day how so many women are at risk when dealing with exchanges with their past abusers, and how many are in fear when their children are made to go to a visitation with their past abuser. One of the mothers we know who had just started having to let her daughter go to exchanges was in a full panic much prior to having let her daughter spend the weekend with her past abuser, not wanting to give her daughter over because she was in total fear of what may happen, yet having to do so anyway because she was court ordered to. Throughout the weekend she was a mess, and it was very heartbreaking to see a mother in such fear but having no other alternative because it was court ordered. Thankfully things went well and her daughter came home safe from the visitation, but no parent should have to be made to live through that fear!
We also talked about how exchanges can be used as a means to further manipulate and abuse the victim, and how the children are caught in the middle. How many mothers go to these exchanges in total fear of their abuser, but having to do so because of a court order. How it would be wonderful to get Advocates together who would go to these exchanges with the mothers, but I’m glad that centers like this are available to some victims at least.
February 28, 2012, 2:53 pm
By Nadia Crow/SourceMedia Group News
CEDAR RAPIDS-
“We help unite the families without them having to communicate with one another,” said Family Visitation Center of Linn County Program Director Elizabeth Riechers.
It’s a difficult task for parents who have a no-contact-order after a domestic violence incident. Now families in Linn County can find a Safe Haven at the county’s Family Visitation Center. The first-of-its-kind center in the state allows for supervised visits and child exchanges under supervision. The center opened in December, but staff hopes Tuesday’s open house gives them more attention.
It’s a relatively new resource for victims of domestic violence. Through federal dollars, this center allows kids to have both parents in their lives regardless of the serious problems their parents might have.
“Exchanging the children in front of the police station, McDonald’s, someplace in the open,” said Riechers.
But now families affected by domestic violence can come to the Linn County Family Visitation Center.
“Alot of times the batterer uses the time with the kids as another way to hurt the other parent. Whereas here that won’t happen. We would stop the visit or do an intervention and ask the parent to change the subject,” said Family Visitation Center of Linn County Program Coordinator Cassandra Gibson.
Each visitation room also has a double-sided mirror so staff can monitor appointments.
“A lot of times, children feel in the middle or it’s their fault. Where here the focus is on their relationship with the other parent,” said Gibson.
Safety and security top priorities here at Safe Haven. That’s why anytime someone comes to the building they have to be buzzed in to get inside the facility. All clients and visitors are watched on multiple security cameras throughout their stay at the Family Visitation Center.
“It could be as risky as death, violence, shooting,” said Riechers.
Staff say the center is most crucial during the first few months of separation when lives are most at risk. A family may only use the Family Visitation Center if they’re involved in a domestic violence situation. The center ultimately hopes to help about 100 families a year. They’re also working to serve a six-county radius and not just Linn County.
March 7, 2012
Report: TJ Lane, alleged school shooter, grew up with family violence
I wish I could say this surprises me, but it doesn’t, but it does sadden me that this has happened.
Can anyone again dare say Domestic Violence doesn’t affect the children? How many out there can hold onto their belief that Domestic Violence doesn’t hurt children as long as they aren’t themselves physically abused? Too often we’ve heard that killers and those that have problems with the law have a past of child abuse and domestic violence, yet so many still hold onto their belief that the children aren’t affected! It’s time to open your eyes, time to get to a place of understanding that Domestic Violence is NOT a family issue, it’s an issue that affects society as a whole and tears apart communities if left unattended.
In the second article it mentions that he was also bullied… It’s no wonder with all this rolled in that he became the way he was, my question is this… with all the awareness out there about child behaviors, domestic violence, abuse, and bullying why wasn’t anything done for this kid before he snapped? This is something that could have been prevented…
My prayers go out to the families that have been affected by this, and I pray that TJ gets the help that he’s so desperately has needed all these years now that it’s finally come into the light in such a way as to not be ignored…
February 28, 2012 2:59 PM
(CBS) CHARDON, Ohio - TJ Lane had violence in his life from the beginning, The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Pictures: 3 killed, 2 injured in Ohio high school shooting
Geauga County court records show the father of the teenager who police say shot five students at Chardon High School on Monday had been arrested many times for violent crimes against women.
According to the records, more than once, police or courts warned him to stay away from the boy and his mother.
Authorities say TJ Lane walked into the high school cafeteria early Monday and targeted a group of students sitting at one of the tables. Three of the students were killed, and two more were injured.
The records say between 1995 and 1997, the boy's father and mother, Sara A. Nolan, were each charged with domestic violence against each other.
At a later date, the father was charged with assaulting a police officer and served time in prison after trying to suffocate another woman he married several years after his son was born, according to court records.
Some youths who attended a vigil at a church on Chardon's square Monday evening said that the TJ Lane lived with his grandparents and had multiple step and half-siblings. His grandmother declined to comment.
Lawyer Bob Fairnacci, who is representing the suspect, read a statement from the Lane family after word of the first fatality, reports NBC affiliate WKYC.
"The family...wanted to give their most heartfelt and sincere condolences to the family of the young man who passed and their continuing prayers are with all those who were injured. This is something that could never have been predicted. TJ's family has asked for some privacy while they try to understand how such a tragedy could have occurred and while they mourn this terrible loss for their community."
TJ Lane attended Lake Academy, an alternative school in Willoughby for students in Lake and Geauga counties. His peers said the 17-year-old shooting suspect was quiet. Some said he was sweet, while others said he had a simmering temper.
Lane had one prior case in Geauga County Juvenile court two years ago. Officials would not release information on the case, however, several at the court said the family's troubles were known to social workers in the county.
Anthony Gracco, a junior at Chardon High School, said he and TJ Lane played basketball together after school several years ago. He said TJ seemed like a happy kid.
"I was shocked," he said. "I didn't think he would do something like this. He wasn't a violent kid. I'm sad about it."
Complete coverage of the Chardon, Ohio school shooting on Crimesider
Accused Ohio school shooter T.J. Lane has violence in family history
TUESDAY, 28 FEBRUARY 2012 15:08
BY BOB HOLT
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
New details about T.J. Lane, the Ohio high schooler accused of killing three students and wounding two others during a shooting spree on Monday, are surfacing.
Lane's father had been arrested in the past for violent crimes against women, and one of them was T.J. Lane's mother.
According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Lane’s father and mother were each charged with domestic violence against each other between 1995 and 1997. Lane’s father had also been charged with assaulting a police officer, according to records. It is not known if the father and son had much contact.
CNN reported that hospital officials at MetroHealth Medical Center in Ohio said a third student, Demetrius Hewlin, had died of wounds from the shooting Tuesday morning. Daniel Parmertor, 16, died on Monday, and 17-year old Russell King Jr. was declared brain dead on Tuesday.
According to CBS News, Lane told law enforcement sources that he had warned his friends about his plans two days in advance of the shooting. Lane is scheduled to appear in juvenile court Tuesday afternoon. He had reportedly been a victim of bullying in the past.
Witness Heather Ziska, 17, said she was in the cafeteria when students heard popping noises in the hallway. According to the Los Angeles Times, she said she saw a fellow student enter the cafeteria and begin shooting. Student Danny Komertz said he saw a student dive under a cafeteria table to unsuccessfully hide from the rampage.
Assistant football coach and study hall teacher Frank Hall chased the gunman out of the school, according to students, and likely prevented the death numbers from being higher.
Lane had posted a poem on Facebook back in December which was being read more closely since Monday’s tragedy. It began, “In a quaint lonely town, sits a man with a frown. No job. No family. No crown. His luck had run out. Lost and alone. The streets were his home.”
The rambling poem ended with the ominous, “Die, all of you.” It can be read in its entiretyhere.
Gregg Jantz, a psychologist from Seattle, told the Huffington Post that Lane’s poem was an immediate red flag. He said, "That kind of writing is warning sign of an impending disaster."
Facebook Post By Chardon Ohio High School Shooting Suspect T.J. Lane
Feb 27, 2012 2:14 PM ESTWitnesses of the high-school shooting that killed one student and wounded four others tell the Cleveland Plain Dealer that schoolmateT.J. Lane is the alleged gunman. Read the chilling Facebook letter that Lane posted on Dec. 30, 2011. Plus, more breaking updates.
In a time long since, a time of repent, The Renaissance. In a quaint lonely town, sits a man with a frown. No job. No family. No crown. His luck had run out. Lost and alone. The streets were his home. His thoughts would solely consist of "why do we exist?" His only company to confide in was the vermin in the street. He longed for only one thing, the world to bow at his feet. They too should feel his secret fear. The dismal drear. His pain had made him sincere. He was better than the rest, allthose ones he detests, within their castles, so vain. Selfish and conceited. They couldn't care less about the peasents they mistreated. They were in their own world, it was a joyous one too. That castle, she stood just to do all she could to keep the peasents at bay, not the enemy away. They had no enemies in their filthy orgy. And in her, the castles every story, was just another chamber of Lucifer's Laboratory. The world is a sandbox for all the wretched sinners. They simply create what they want and make themselves the winners. But the true winner, he has nothing at all. Enduring the pain of waiting for that castle to fall. Through his good deeds, the rats and the fleas. He will have for what he pleads, through the eradication of disease. So, to the castle he proceeds, like an ominous breeze through the trees. "Stay back!" The Guards screamed as they were thrown to their knees. "Oh God, have mercy, please!" The castle, she gasped and then so imprisoned her breath, to the shallow confines of her fragile chest. I'm on the lamb but I ain't no sheep. I am Death. And you have always been the sod. So repulsive and so odd. You never even deserved the presence of God, and yet, I am here. Around your cradle I plod. Came on foot, without shod. How improper, how rude. However, they shall not mind the mud on my feet if there is blood on your sheet. Now! Feel death, not just mocking you. Not just stalking you but inside of you. Wriggle and writhe. Feel smaller beneath my might. Seizure in the Pestilence that is my scythe. Die, all of you.
March 1, 2012
Analysis: Child safety not always a priority
Feb 27, 2012 12:30pm
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — A newspaper's analysis has found that child safety is sometimes overlooked by social workers in domestic violence cases.
The Lexington Herald Leader reported the findings after looking over 85 internal reviews done by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services after children with whom they had contact either died or received serious injuries in 2009 and 2010 (http://bit.ly/wAb2uj). The analysis found that 48 of the reviews mentioned domestic violence and that it played a direct role in five cases.
Cabinet officials who reviewed the fatalities said workers missed opportunities to protect children living in situations that included domestic violence.
Jim Grace, assistant director of the cabinet's Division of Protection and Permanency, said when officials find a systematic problem due to a fatality review "there's the expectation that we would correct it."
He said training is being conducted by the cabinet "on the dynamics of domestic violence and how it relates to a child's protection."
Among the cases that were reviewed was the death of 3-year-old Owen Utley, who was shot and killed by his father in Gallatin County in February 2009.
The internal review shows that Michael Utley was charged with assaulting the child's mother 18 months before killing the child and himself.
An adult-protection worker for the state substantiated domestic abuse, but the child's safety was never considered by social workers, according to the review. On the day the child was killed, the state found that Michael Utley fatally shot the child after beating his live-in girlfriend until she ran to a neighbor's home for help.
The internal review says social workers should have formally assessed the "risk of harm" to the child after the first report of domestic violence.
Other shortcomings highlighted in the reviews include that reports of domestic violence aren't always thoroughly investigated and domestic violence shelters aren't always easily accessible for rural residents.
Domestic Violence Task Force: Strengthen Stalking Laws, Restraining Orders
By JOSH KOVNER, jkovner@courant.com
6:46 p.m. EST, February 27, 2012
HARTFORD – —
There were 12 domestic-violence slayings last year in Connecticut; down slightly from the 10-year average of 16.
But anti-violence advocates drew no solace from those statistics. The number of new domestic violence cases hitting the court system last year held steady at about 37,000 – roughly a third of all criminal matters. Against this backdrop, the legislature's 3-year-old Domestic Violence Task Force on Monday announced its 2012 agenda – 20 recommended bills to help further protect victims, punish offenders more meaningfully, and intervene earlier in the lives of children and at-risk families.
House Speaker Chris Donovan and state Sen. John A. Kissel (R-Enfield), said there's bipartisan support for the bills, which include strengthening restraining orders, bolstering stalking laws, expanding services to children who witness violence, and pushing the court system to set up more domestic-violence dockets that concentrate exclusively on family crimes.
Karen Jarmoc, executive director of the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, said she doesn't take that political support for granted. She said police, prosecutors, politicians and advocates work better together here than in many other states.
Rep, Mae Flexer, D-Killingly, chairwoman of the task force, said the reforms implemented since 2009 represent the most progress on the domestic-violence front since Torrington's Tracey Thurman took a stand against apathy and won mandatory-arrest laws and other landmark changes in 1986.
But budgetary pressure has blunted some of the improvements. The judicial branch in 2010 used $140,000 in federal stimulus money for GPS tracking devices for repeat domestic-violence offenders in Hartford, New Haven, and Danielson. The technology led to quicker notification of protective-order violations – but the money ran out last year.
Flexer said the task force is trying to find a new source of funding. Since domestic violence cuts across all economic tiers, it may be possible to charge a fee to those offenders who require GPS monitoring, Donovan said.
The task force is also pushing for more standardized training on domestic-violence response among town, city, and state police.
In 16 percent of the cases, both people involved in an incident are arrested. Advocates view these "dual arrests'' as an "unintended consequence'' of the mandatory arrest laws, which removed discretion from police. Advocates would like police arrest policies to place a greater emphasis on self-defense, which might reduce the number of times the victim is arrested along with the instigator.
Other recommendations include extending from six months to a year the time that a restraining can stay in place, thereby limiting the number of times a victim has to come to court to seek to renew it; preserving the funding for around-the-clock staffing of shelters; and notifying victims when a case has been nolled or dismissed, or when an offender's probation has been violated or the conditions of release have been changed.
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