Category: Victims

PR: Penobscot Co. Woman Says Prosecutor Mary Kellett Employed Threats and ‘Bald-Faced Lie’ to Induce Testimony

Post author By saveadmin
Post date February 6, 2013

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Telephone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

Penobscot Co. Woman Says Prosecutor Mary Kellett Employed Threats and ‘Bald-Faced Lie’ to Induce Testimony

WASHINGTON / February 6, 2013 – A Penobscot County woman has accused assistant district attorney Mary Kellett of lying in order to coerce her to testify in a domestic assault case. Michelle Sayasane has claimed that Kellett falsely represented that Sayasane’s husband, Keo, had murdered a previous wife as a legal tactic to coerce Sayasane to become a cooperative witness.

According to an August 18, 2011 article in the Bangor Daily News, Justice Kevin Cuddy learned that ADA Kellett told Mrs. Sayasane that her husband had been convicted in the 1987 stabbing death of his former wife. Kellett claimed the source of the information was deputy attorney general William Stokes, head of the Attorney General Office’s criminal division: http://bangordailynews.com/2011/08/18/news/hancock/blue-hill-man-seeks-case-dismissal-over-bad-information-from-prosecutors/

But Kellett’s statement appears to have been false. “Stokes said he never provided any information to Kellett that indicated that the victim in the manslaughter case was Sayasane’s previous wife, or even that the victim was a woman,” according the Bangor Daily News account.

In an article published earlier this week, Mrs. Sayasane revealed the reasons behind her reluctance: her husband “needed counseling, not jail, and I was not going to be a part of putting him there:” http://www.avoiceformen.com/feminism/government-tyranny/my-ordeal-with-mary-kellett/. Kellett responded by threatening to have Child Protective Services remove their children, according to Sayasane.

Finally, Sayasane relented and agreed to cooperate with the prosecution, even though Kellett allegedly caused “massive emotional distress on me and my entire family.”

“In December, a special panel ruled that prosecutor Mary Kellett violated seven ethical rules and recommended her license be suspended,” explains SAVE spokesman Steve Blake. “Michelle Sayasane’s latest account of prosecutor bullying and dishonesty reinforces the need for prompt action.”

Sayasane says she plans to file a complaint against Kellett with the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar for witness tampering.

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to domestic violence and sexual assault: www.saveservices.org

Bills Dating Violence Discrimination Domestic Violence False Allegations Law Enforcement Press Release Research Restraining Order Victims Violence Violence Against Women Act

PR: Leading Scientists and Organizations Urge Reforming the Violence Against Women Act: SAVE Calls for Prompt Congressional Action

Post author By saveadmin
Post date February 5, 2013

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Telephone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

Leading Scientists and Organizations Urge Reforming the Violence Against Women Act:

SAVE Calls for Prompt Congressional Action

WASHINGTON / February 5, 2013 – A group of scientists, victim advocates, and 15 leading organizations have endorsed a series of reforms to the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), a law that is currently up for reauthorization in Congress. The endorsers include many of the acclaimed scientists who have elucidated the causes and dynamics of intimate partner violence.

The VAWA Reform Principles are endorsed by the Independent Women’s Forum, National Coalition for Men, Washington Civil Rights Council, 60 Plus Association, Able Americans, and many others. The endorsing organizations collectively represent the interests of a majority of the American public.

The Reform Principles address a range of documented deficiencies with the nearly 20-year-old federal law, including the need for greater emphasis on programs to address substance abuse, marital instability, and emotional disorders. The principles suggest a greater emphasis on partner reconciliation when it is safe to do so.

The principles highlight how VAWA has placed excessive attention on criminal justice measures such as restraining orders, which lack proof of effectiveness. The reforms call for the elimination of policies that mandate arrest in the absence of probable cause, an unconstitutional policy that was found in a Harvard University study to increase partner homicides by nearly 60%.

The Principles address other shortcomings with existing domestic violence programs. These include the need for programs to afford priority to victims of physical violence, for disseminating accurate abuse-reduction information to the public, and for instituting stronger accountability measures.

“For far too long, domestic violence programs have been based on gender ideology, resulting in programs that have been ineffective, unresponsive, and even dangerous to victims,” explains SAVE spokesperson Sheryle Hutter. “We urge lawmakers to include these reforms in the Violence Against Women Act bills currently being considered in Congress.”

The complete list of Principles and endorsers can be seen here: http://www.saveservices.org/pvra/vawa-reform-principles/

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to domestic violence and sexual assault: www.saveservices.org

Domestic Violence Press Release Victims Violence Violence Against Women Act

PRESS RELEASE: Women Shortchanged by Violence Against Women Act, SAVE Charges

Post author By saveadmin
Post date January 31, 2013

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Telephone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

Women Shortchanged by Violence Against Women Act, SAVE Charges

WASHINGTON / January 25, 2013 – Following introduction of the Violence Against Women Act in Congress, SAVE, a leading victim-rights organization, is charging the bills fall short in addressing the causes of domestic violence, ignore abuse-prone women, and in some cases place victims at greater risk of harm.

The bills were introduced Tuesday in the Senate (S. 47) by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and in the House of Representatives (H.R. 11) by Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI). The bills seek to enhance the criminal justice response to domestic violence through wider use of restraining orders, mandatory arrests, and mandatory prosecutions.

A report by Stop Abusive and Violent Environments, Have Domestic Violence Programs Delivered on Their Promises to Women?, documents that many programs funded by the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) are harmful, ineffective, or non-responsive to women’s needs: http://www.saveservices.org/downloads/VAWA-Has-It-Delivered-on-Its-Promises-to-Women

The report found that VAWA programs:

Are ineffective in reducing abuse
Promote arrest and prosecution policies that place women at greater homicide risk
Often ignore the wishes of abused women
May lull women into a false sense of security
Ensnare women in a rigid criminal justice bureaucracy
Make it more difficult for real victims to get help
Shortchange the needs of female aggressors
May not provide needed services at abuse shelters, and
Can lead to the removal of children from their homes

“Women can see through the smoke and mirrors of elected officials who introduce an anti-woman law and then turn around and claim they are trying to help women.” charges SAVE spokesperson Sheryle Hutter. “These people need to be advocates for effective, accountable programs, not lapdogs of an extreme gender ideology.”

SAVE supports passage of the Violence Against Women Act, but believes major changes are necessary: http://www.saveservices.org/mandate-for-change/

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to domestic violence and sexual assault: www.saveservices.org

Abuse Shelter Child Custody Domestic Violence Press Release Research Restraining Order Victims Violence Violence Against Women Act

PR: Domestic Violence Programs Have Not Delivered on Promises to Women: SAVE Report

Post author By saveadmin
Post date January 14, 2013

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Telephone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

Domestic Violence Programs Have Not Delivered on Promises to Women: SAVE Report

WASHINGTON / January 14, 2013 – Domestic violence programs have fallen short in meeting women’s needs, according to a report issued today by SAVE. Of greater concern are studies that document some violence-prevention strategies endorsed by the federal Violence Against Women Act place women at greater risk of victimization and even death.

The report, Have Domestic Violence Programs Delivered on Their Promises to Women?, reviews nearly 50 research studies and articles examining the effectiveness of restraining orders, mandatory arrest policies, and no-drop prosecution. The report concludes the impact of these criminal justice measures ranges from harmful to ineffective: http://www.saveservices.org/downloads/VAWA-Has-It-Delivered-on-Its-Promises-to-Women

The report is issued by Stop Abusive and Violent Environments, a victim-advocacy organization.

The report summarizes nearly 50 research studies and other articles, and concludes the programs funded by the federal anti-violence program:

Are ineffective in reducing abuse
Promote arrest and prosecution policies that place women at greater risk
Often ignore the wishes of abused women
May lull women into a false sense of security
Ensnare women in a rigid criminal justice bureaucracy
Make it more difficult for real victims to get help
Shortchange the needs of female aggressors
May not provide needed services at abuse shelters, and
Can lead to the removal of children from their homes

“Lawmakers should carefully review the findings in this report,” explains SAVE spokesperson Sheryle Hutter. “Women will be outraged if lawmakers stick to ‘business as usual’ and don’t reform policies known to maim and kill women.”

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to domestic violence and sexual assault: www.saveservices.org

CAMP Domestic Violence Press Release Victims Violence Violence Against Women Act

PR: Politicizing the Truth: White House Order Ignores the Plight of Most Victims of Violence

Post author By saveadmin
Post date August 15, 2012

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Phone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

Politicizing the Truth: White House Order Ignores the Plight of Most Victims of Violence

WASHINGTON / August 15, 2012 — Victim-advocacy group Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE) is charging the White House with politicizing the issue of violence. SAVE says Obama’s executive order “Preventing and Responding to Violence Against Women and Girls Globally”(1) marginalizes and ignores the suffering of male victims of violence.

According to the World Health Organization, men are twice as likely to die of violence as women. Globally, violence accounts for 14% of male deaths and 7% of female deaths.(2)

Regarding intimate partner violence, studies across the globe find women are as likely as men to be perpetrators of abuse.(3) In the United States, a Centers for Disease Control survey reported that among young adults, half of all partner aggression is mutual, and 71% of the instigators of nonreciprocal partner violence are female.(4)

Current criminal cases illustrate the gravity of the problem:

— Brenda White of Taylorsville, Utah is currently on trial for attempting to kill her husband with an SUV.(5)

— This past Saturday, Na Cola Darcel Franklin of Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania stabbed her fiancé to death just hours before their planned wedding.(6)

— Julie Elizabeth Harper of Carlsbad, California is being held on $2 million bail for fatally shooting her husband with their children nearby.(7)

“In the halls of Congress, Democrats and Republicans alike agree the Violence Against Women Act must help all victims of violence.” says Philip W. Cook, SAVE spokesperson, “But the White House’s election-year Order politicizes the issue and distorts the truth. It’s divisive, it’s unfair, and it’s dishonest.”

Earlier this week the Belfast Telegraph reported on a “Dramatic Rise in Violence against Northern Ireland Men in the Home.”(8)

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to partner violence: www.saveservices.org

1. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/08/10/executive-order-preventing-and-responding-violence-against-women-and-gir
2. http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/violence/world_report/en/introduction.pdf
3. http://www.saveservices.org/policymakers/what-is-the-profile-of-domestic-violence-around-the-world/
4. Whitaker DJ et al. Differences in frequency of violence and reported injury between relationships with reciprocal and nonreciprocal intimate partner violence. American Journal of Public Health, Vol. 97, No. 5, 2007.
5. http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/54649493-78/brenda-jon-defense-building.html.csp
6. http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-whitehall-wedding-day-murder-20120811,0,706030,full.story
7. http://www.10news.com/news/31354629/detail.html
8. http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/dramatic-rise-in-violence-against-northern-ireland-men-in-the-home-16197462.html#ixzz23Uypn5HD

Abuse Shelter Press Release Victims Violence Violence Against Women Act

PR: Pets over Persons: SAVE Calls on Abuse Shelters to Re-Examine Priorities

Post author By saveadmin
Post date August 9, 2012

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Phone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

Pets over Persons: SAVE Calls on Abuse Shelters to Re-Examine Priorities

Washington, DC/August 9, 2012 — The domestic violence industry is devoting scarce resources to sheltering pets rather than helping victims. In an era when victims are increasingly being turned away, Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE), a victim-advocacy organization, calls on domestic violence organizations to give first priority to helping actual victims.

As Congress continues to debate renewal of the Violence Against Women Act, cases of the prioritization of pets over humans illustrate the controversial focus of some VAWA-funded service providers.

In Florida, for example, abuse shelters turned away more than 3,000 women last year because of funding cuts (1). But the Harbor House in Orlando is currently building a 1,500 square-foot state-of-the-art kennel. A similar facility at a Jacksonville shelter has been used by only six animals per year since its opening in 2007.

Victims should be allowed to bring their pets into shelters and housed inside a kennel in an unused area of the shelter. But in time of budget cuts and staff layoffs, spending thousands of dollars on dedicated facilities makes no sense, SAVE says.

SAVE has previously reported on the drift of some abuse shelters away from a focus on healing victims and their families, to a preoccupation with teaching women they are victims of patriarchal oppression (2).

“It is unacceptable that each day victims are being turned away from abuse shelters because they lack funding, while at the same time money is being spent on facilities for dogs, cats, hamsters, gerbils, and birds,” SAVE spokesman Philip W. Cook explains. “Congress must reauthorize VAWA with oversight provisions to ensure that all true victims receive the assistance they are due.”

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to partner violence: www.saveservices.org.

Abuse Shelter CAMP Dating Violence Domestic Violence Press Release Research Victims Violence

PR: Dishonest Portrayals by the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence

Post author By saveadmin
Post date August 7, 2012

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Phone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

Dishonest Portrayals by the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence

WASHINGTON / August 7, 2012 – Women commit half of all partner abuse, but the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence (MCEDV) all but ignores the widespread problem of female-initiated partner aggression. SAVE, a national victim-advocacy organization, calls on the Maine Coalition to present balanced and truthful information to legislators and to the public at large.

Male high school students in Maine are more likely to be hit, slapped, or physically hurt by their girlfriends. According to the Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey, 11.6% male secondary students have been a victim of dating violence in the past 12 months, compared to only 10.6% of female students (1).

Female-perpetrated abuse is even more worrisome among young adults. According to a national Centers for Disease Control survey, 70% of one-way abuse is committed by women, while only 30% of abuse is perpetrated by men (2).

Homicide statistics provide a sobering perspective, as well. According to the 2012 report of the Maine Domestic Abuse Homicide Review Panel, women committed 5 out of 13 domestic violence homicides in recent years (3).

Last year Roxanne Jeskey of Bangor admitted to killing her husband Richard. A detective’s report detailed the injuries: “These included nose fractures, loss of an eye, rib fractures, rectal incised wounds, and internal hemorrhage from an instrument(s) pushed through his scrotum into his abdomen. Further, Mr. Jeskey was strangled with sufficient force to break the hyoid bone of his neck.” (4).

Despite disturbing media accounts, the website of the Maine Coalition repeatedly implies that only men are abusive (5). These are a few of many examples:

What is domestic violence and abuse: “The difference lies in the batterer’s belief system regarding women and children.”
Its Dating Bill of Rights includes, “Say, ‘I think my friend is wrong and his actions are inappropriate.’”
A Friend in Need of Help: “ten ways to support female victims”

The Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey shows that among 11^th and 12^th graders, females are more than twice as likely as males to perpetrate dating violence (1). But the MCEDV home page advertises that the Young Adult Abuse Prevention Program “is seeking an educator to conduct classroom presentations on dating violence. The applicant must convincingly portray a teenage female in a theater piece.”

“Domestic violence is too important an issue for persons to spin and mutilate the truth,” explains SAVE spokesman Philip W. Cook. “If the Maine Coalition wants to bring an end to the cycle of domestic violence, it needs to stop ignoring half the cycle.”

Female-initiated aggression is the leading risk-factor for women becoming injured by an intimate partner, according to a research summary by Sandra Stith, PhD (6).

Citations:

1. http://maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/population-health/inj/documents/miyhs-highschool-2011.pdf, page 8.
2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17395835
3. http://www.maine.gov/ag/dynld/documents/Working_Together_to_End_Domestic_Violence_04-11-12.pdf, page 11.
4. http://www.truecrimereport.com/2011/06/roxanne_jeskey_viciously_murde.php
5. http://mcedv.org/
6. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1359178903000557

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to partner abuse: www.saveservices.org

Accusing U. Campus False Allegations Press Release Sexual Assault Victims

PR: As Victim Credibility Dwindles, SAVE Calls on Prosecutors to File Charges in Brian Banks False Rape Case

Post author By saveadmin
Post date June 26, 2012

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Telephone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

As Victim Credibility Dwindles, SAVE Calls on Prosecutors to File Charges in Brian Banks False Rape Case

WASHINGTON / June 26, 2012 – One month after revelations of Wanetta Gibson’s false rape accusation, Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE) is charging Los Angeles County prosecutors with unacceptable delay in filing perjury charges against Gibson. A vigorous prosecution of Gibson is critical to restoring the credibility of true rape victims, who often complain investigators with growing case loads don’t take their claims seriously, SAVE says.

Rape is No Joke, a victim advocacy group, has charged that “Enormous damages are done by making a false allegation of rape.” New York Post Andrea Peyser columnist laments that false accusations represent a “huge problem for future rape victims.” And Justice Enriques has decried that “False complaints of rape necessarily impact upon the minds of jurors trying rape cases.”

Wanetta Gibson admitted to the false charge during a taped meeting with a private investigator. “No, he did not rape me,” she was quoted as saying. “I will go through with helping you, but it’s like at the same time all that money they gave us, I mean gave me, I don’t want to have to pay it back.”

Gibson and her mother had been paid $1.5 million by the Long Beach School District following their lawsuit for allegedly failing to provide adequate protections to prevent the assault.

Despite the judge’s decision, Los Angeles County prosecutor Brentford Ferreira said there were no plans to charge Gibson, saying it would be a difficult case to prove.

“Here we have a star athlete nearly broken by a false accusation, a $1.5 million pay-out, and a woman who admitted to wrong-doing,” notes SAVE spokesman Philip Cook. “Prosecutor Ferreira’s comment represents a slap in the face to real victims whose credibility is under assault.”

The rape conviction was overturned by a Long Beach, Calif. Judge on May 24. Minutes later a tearful Banks told media representatives, “There’s more than I can describe, the things I’ve been through and the things that I’ve endured.”

June is False Allegations Awareness Month. One in 10 persons has been falsely accused of sexual assault, domestic violence, or child abuse: http://www.saveservices.org/falsely-accused/survey/

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to partner abuse: www.saveservices.org

Bills Press Release Research Training Victims Violence Against Women Act

PR: Battering the Truth: SAVE Report Reveals Many Abuse Statistics are One-Sided or False

Post author By saveadmin
Post date April 11, 2012

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

Battering the Truth: SAVE Report Reveals Many Abuse Statistics are One-Sided or False

Washington, DC/April 11, 2012 — The federal government spends $76 million a year for domestic violence education programs, but 90 percent of the claims made in these programs are one-sided, misleading, or completely untrue, according to a new report from Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE). The report, “Most DV Educational Programs Lack Accuracy, Balance, and Truthfulness,” compares validated scientific research with the claims made by leading abuse-reduction groups: http://www.saveservices.org/downloads/SAVE-DV-Educational-Programs

The SAVE report highlights three offenders:

The American Bar Association frames its discussion of domestic violence with the broad claim that “2 to 4 million American women are battered every year.” But the dean of the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Work derides that statistic as a “factoid from nowhere.”
The National Network to End Domestic Violence, an umbrella organization for state domestic violence advocates, has developed a fact sheet on “Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Fact Sheet.” Only five of the 30 statements contained in the NNEDV fact sheet are accurate and truthful representations of the social science.
Judicial benchbooks, used by judges as summaries of current law and key information on a subject, are similarly skewed. Various states’ manuals present the statistic that 95 percent of spouse-abuse victims are women. In fact, men are equally as likely as women to be victims of intimate partner aggression: http://www.saveservices.org/pdf/Seven-Facts-Every-American-Should-Know-About-DV.pdf.

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which funds many of these educational efforts, has been criticized for having inadequate safeguards against waste and fraud: http://saveservices.org/pdf/SAVE-Accountability-and-Oversight.pdf.

SAVE has declared that such false claims are doing harm to victims of domestic violence. By imprinting a false picture of domestic violence on Americans’ understanding of the issue, the domestic violence establishment hampers outreach to male, LGBT, and other underserved victims.

Spokesman Philip W. Cook says of the report’s findings: “VAWA must not be reauthorized without a remedy for the damage this misinformation is doing to domestic violence victims and to our system of justice. The biases we are talking about are systematic, widespread, and doggedly resistant to correction.”

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to partner violence: www.saveservices.org.

Bills Civil Rights Domestic Violence Press Release Victims Violence Violence Against Women Act

PR: Violence Against Women Act Poses Threat to Civil Rights, Group Charges

Post author By saveadmin
Post date March 21, 2012

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

Violence Against Women Act Poses Threat to Civil Rights, Group Charges

Washington, DC/March 19, 2012 – A recently issued report highlights a broad range of civil rights abuses that arise from policies endorsed by the federal Violence Against Women Act: http://www.saveservices.org/wp-content/uploads/SAVE-Assault-Civil-Rights.pdf. The report, from Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE), reveals the number of citizens whose rights have been impaired by the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) reaches about 30 million persons.

Last month, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) proposed a reauthorization of VAWA, which passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee to the Senate floor. But for the first time in VAWA’s history, the bill encountered strong opposition. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), aware of VAWA’s many flaws, offered an alternative bill, but that bill did not pass out of committee.

SAVE’s report documents 10 fundamental rights and protections that are being harmed by the Violence Against Women Act:

Protection against libel and slander
Freedom of speech
Protection against governmental intrusion
Right to due process of law
Freedom to marry and the right to privacy in family matters
Right to parent one’s own children
Right to keep and bear arms
Equal protection of the laws
Right to be secure in one’s person
Right to a fair trial

“Indiscriminate restraining orders, unconstitutional standards of evidence, and arrests without probable cause have been ravaging this country since VAWA’s passage in 1994,” SAVE spokesman Philip W. Cook notes. “The civil rights of African-Americans and other minorities have been especially hard-hit by strong-arm domestic violence policies.”

The abridgement of men’s rights has also been allowed to flourish under the VAWA, the report documents. Family law attorney Lisa Scott has warned, “Don’t call 911 unless you are bleeding and she still has a weapon in her hand.”

SAVE, an advocate for all victims of domestic violence, is working to reform federal domestic violence statutes so they both protect victims and affirm the civil rights of the accused.

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to partner violence: www.saveservices.org