Category: Violence

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.

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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

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PR: Police Academy Curriculum Stereotypes Men as Abusers

Post author By saveadmin
Post date August 2, 2012

PRESS RELEASE

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

Police Academy Curriculum Stereotypes Men as Abusers

WASHINGTON/August 2, 2012 — Maine’s predominant aggressor policy removes the presumption of innocence from the accused and labels men as abusers, says victim-advocacy group Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE). The Maine Criminal Justice Academy’s “Identifying Predominant Aggressors in Domestic Violence Cases,” designed to train state law enforcement personnel, unfairly targets men, even though both sexes engage in domestic violence at similar rates.

One Centers for Disease Control study found 50% of violent couples are mutually aggressive, meaning both persons are exchanging blows. For one-way aggression, females were the perpetrators in 7 out of 10 cases (Daniel Whitaker. American Journal of Public Health, May 2007).

Law enforcement officials openly acknowledge that predominant aggressor policies are biased. “When it’s a ‘he-said, she-said’ situation with no injuries, we just arrest the guy,” admitted one officer.

SAVE’s report on Predominant Aggressor policies cites numerous deficiencies with the Maine curriculum (http://www.saveservices.org/downloads/Predominant-Aggressor-Policies):

The curriculum arbitrarily classifies face scratches, eye gouges, and arm bites as defensive, when such injuries can be actions taken by the perpetrator.
Some criteria for identifying the predominant aggressor are subjective and vague such as, “power and control dynamics of the couple.”
None of the curriculum’s 10 vignettes recommends arresting the female.

In addition, the curriculum does not address the possibility that the accusations may be false. It’s not uncommon for a woman to perpetrate domestic violence against a man, then call the police and accuse him of the abuse, SAVE notes.

During a July 10 domestic violence conference held in Portsmouth, NH, researcher John Hamel termed predominant aggressor policies “based in politics and ideology” and “nearly impossible to properly implement.” Several national columnists have also highlighted the biases in the Maine curriculum.

“Domestic violence experts around the country are pointing to Maine’s predominant aggressor guide as an example of a well-intentioned law enforcement policy that ends up revictimizing the victim,” says SAVE spokesperson Philip W. Cook. “Maine lawmakers must demand that Criminal Justice Academy director John Rogers rescind his harmful curriculum.”

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

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PRESS RELEASE: Most Support Reform of Violence Against Women Act, SAVE Survey Shows

Post author By saveadmin
Post date July 17, 2012

PRESS RELEASE

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

Most Support Reform of Violence Against Women Act, SAVE Survey Shows

Washington, DC/July 17, 2012 — A strong majority of registered voters participating in a national survey support reforming the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). These persons support measures currently being debated in Congress that are designed to curb the waste, discrimination, and false allegations which are occurring under the current VAWA law.

Commissioned by Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE), a victim advocacy organization, the survey shows strong support for reform among key voting blocs including women, young people, and domestic violence victims themselves.

Nearly 7 in 10 respondents – 69.5% — support changing the existing law to curb waste and fraud. SAVE has previously documented the lack of fiscal oversight of federally-funded domestic violence programs: http://saveservices.org/pdf/SAVE-Accountability-and-Oversight.pdf

Strong majorities also support reforming VAWA to stem false allegations – 63.5% of persons surveyed — and discriminatory practices – 65.9% of respondents — that the law has allowed.

About 7 in 10 persons who are a victim of domestic violence or who personally know an abuse victim support the proposed changes. Notable among the survey’s results are the demographics that support VAWA reform:

Women participating in the survey are more likely than men to support reform of the Violence Against Women Act.
Individuals under the age of 50 are more likely to support VAWA reform than those who are older.
Republicans are more likely than Democrats to support reforms to reduce fraud, discrimination, and false allegations.

Survey respondents are not necessarily representative of all registered voters. The survey methods and detailed findings can be seen here: http://www.saveservices.org/campaign-2012/national-survey-on-vawa-reform/

“Even though we have begun the process of reform, America has a long way to go before true victims of domestic violence get priority and damaging false allegations come to an end,” says SAVE spokesman Philip W. Cook. “No one knows this better than the victims of domestic violence themselves.”

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

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PR: SAVE Applauds Justice Dept. Probe into Wrongful Convictions

Post author By saveadmin
Post date July 12, 2012

PRESS RELEASE

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

SAVE Applauds Justice Dept. Probe into Wrongful Convictions

WASHINGTON / July 12, 2012 — Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE) welcomes the recent announcement that the Department of Justice and FBI are launching a probe of thousands of criminal cases to determine whether defendants were wrongly convicted. The news was highlighted in a recent Washington Post article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/justice-dept-fbi-to-review-use-of-forensic-evidence-in-thousands-of-cases/2012/07/10/gJQAT6DlbW_story.html

Each year millions of dollars in prosecutorial resources are squandered on trivial and false cases of domestic violence, thus shortchanging real victims who deserve priority from the criminal justice system, SAVE believes.

One survey found that about two-thirds of prosecutors’ offices around the country have implemented so-called “no-drop” policies for domestic violence: http://www.saveservices.org/downloads/Unequal-Justice-in-the-Criminal-Justice-System. Such policies obviate the requirement of probable cause, and have resulted in innocent citizens being needlessly charged and wrongfully convicted.

In a recent high-profile case, high school athlete Brian Banks, wrongfully accused of rape, accepted a 5-year plea bargain, rather than face the uncertainties of a trial. Banks’ conviction was overturned in May after his accuser admitted on tape that the accusation was false.

Earlier this week, former Hofstra University student Rondell Bedward settled his lawsuit against false rape accuser Damnell Ndonye. Despite the existence of a video showing the sex was consensual, prosecutors had forced Bedward and 4 other accused men to be detained.

In 2011, SAVE filed a Grievance Complaint against Maine prosecutor Mary N. Kellett for multiple instances of prosecutorial misconduct: http://www.saveservices.org/wp-content/uploads/COMPLA1.pdf. Kellett’s case will be heard August 30-31.

SAVE says the Violence Against Women Act, currently up for reauthorization in Congress, needs to add provisions that require prosecutors receiving VAWA funding to eliminate no-drop policies and enforce laws that ban perjury and false swearing.

SAVE is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to domestic violence: www.saveservices.org

False Allegations Press Release Sexual Assault Violence

PR: Following Brian Banks Release, SAVE Raps Media for Allowing Rape ‘Hysteria’

Post author By saveadmin
Post date June 14, 2012

PRESS RELEASE

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

Following Brian Banks Release, SAVE Raps Media for Allowing Rape ‘Hysteria’

WASHINGTON / June 14, 2012 – Following the release of Brian Banks after 5 years in jail on a false rape conviction, Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is calling on the media to report rape allegations in a responsible and ethical manner. Media accounts of alleged rape cases often highlight the accusation but fail to report exonerations in the same manner, SAVE says.

Brian Banks was a 16-year-old football star with a full scholarship to the University of Southern California when he was accused of rape by Wanetta Gibson. Fearing a life sentence, Banks agreed to a plea bargain, even though there was no medical evidence or witnesses to support her claim.

Banks spent over five years in jail. In the meantime, Gibson received a $750,000 settlement from the school for not defending her from the alleged assault. Recently Gibson admitted during a taped interview that her accusation was fabricated. On May 24, 2012 Banks was exonerated.

SAVE is calling on the media to assure responsible reporting of all allegations of sexual assault and to stem “rape hysteria.” Common media biases include referring to the accuser as a “victim,” omitting the word “alleged,” not affording equal coverage to the defendant’s account, and failing to note subsequent recantations. Prosecutor decisions to not pursue the case, acquittals, and exonerations are often not reported or not given as prominent coverage as the initial accusation, SAVE notes.

The Banks incident occurred just as the National Registry of Exonerations released a ground-breaking study that details how over 200 men around the country have been falsely convicted on charges of rape, only to be exonerated after years behind bars. Some had been handed life sentences for a crime they didn’t commit.

The exonerations occurred after the “victim” stepped forward to reveal the crime had been fabricated, or after DNA testing proved another person to be the perpetrator: http://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Documents/exonerations_us_1989_2012_full_report.pdf

“Innocent until proven guilty is a concept seemingly forgotten by the media” says Philip W. Cook, SAVE spokesman. “False allegations ruin lives, some of which are never repaired. The media has a responsibility to be factual and balanced, not incendiary.”

June is False Allegations Awareness Month. According to a national telephone survey, one in 10 persons has been falsely accused of 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

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PR: House Approves Violence Against Women Act: SAVE Applauds Long-Overdue Reform Measures

Post author By saveadmin
Post date May 17, 2012

PRESS RELEASE

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

House Approves Violence Against Women Act:

SAVE Applauds Long-Overdue Reform Measures

WASHINGTON / May 17, 2012 – The House of Representatives has passed the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act by a 222-205 margin. Responding to public discontent, H.R. 4970 contains a number of measures designed to curb widespread waste and fraud in the domestic violence field.

A recent U.S. News poll found a strong majority of persons are opposed to the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) in its current form: http://www.usnews.com/debate-club/should-the-violence-against-women-act-be-reauthorized. Many women have questioned the effectiveness and fairness of the existing VAWA law: http://womenagainstvawa.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Flyer-VAWA-Pro-Woman.pdf

Reforms contained H.R. 4970 include strong accountability measures, gender-inclusive language, and provisions to stem fraudulent claims of abuse by immigrants. The current VAWA law has invited immigration fraud by not allowing the US citizen accused of abuse to submit evidence that could refute the accusation.

The White House played an active role in opposing the bill. The Obama Administration issued a Statement of Administration Policy on Tuesday stating it would veto any bill that was modeled on H.R. 4970.

During Wednesday’s floor debate, sponsor Sandy Adams (R-FL) withstood numerous challenges. When informed by John Conyers (D-MI) that numerous organizations opposed her bill, she retorted, “Shame on them!”

Following passage of the bill, a number of established domestic violence organizations have reacted with anger and implied threats. The National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence Against Women called the bill “dangerous.” The National Organization for Women charged that Representatives who voted for the bill “will be judged in the public arena and at the polls in November.”

According to SAVE spokesman Philip W. Cook, “H.R. 4970 certainly is not a perfect bill. Still, passage of the House measure is a victory for victims who have been refused service in the past. It removes most sex discriminatory language. It is also a victory for taxpayers who are tired of the ongoing reports of waste and fraud.”

SAVE thanks the many organizations and individuals who have supported VAWA reform efforts. SAVE will continue to work for ways to reform and strengthen the Violence Against Women Act: www.saveservices.org/pvra.

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

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PR: SAVE Calls on Lawmakers to Stand Tall for Victims and the Constitution during Upcoming VAWA Vote

Post author By saveadmin
Post date May 15, 2012

PRESS RELEASE

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

SAVE Calls on Lawmakers to Stand Tall for Victims and the Constitution during Upcoming VAWA Vote

Washington, DC/May 15, 2012 – A leading victim-advocacy organization is calling on Representatives to support reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, H.R. 4970. Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE) says H.R. 4970 will best help victims of partner abuse and safeguard Constitutional protections.

SAVE urges lawmakers to resist attempts to expand definitions of domestic violence, stalking, and sexual assault. Overly-broad definitions encourage false allegations of abuse and make it harder for true victims to be heard.

Since its passage in 1994, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) has sparked controversy. The ACLU once termed VAWA’s mandatory arrest provisions “repugnant” to the Constitution, and in 2000 the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a VAWA provision designed to provide a federal civil remedy for sex assault cases.

One area of particular controversy centers on VAWA’s immigration provisions, which allow a foreign national to claim to be a domestic violence victim without provision of evidence. Under current law, the accused person is deprived of key due process protections and is barred from submitting evidence of immigration fraud. One civil rights expert termed such provisions “Kafka-esque.” (http://www.mindingthecampus.com/originals/2012/03/the_new_vawaa_threat_to_college_students.html)

Last year the Senate Judiciary Committee invited testimony from Julie Poner, who was a victim of false allegations made by her former husband from the Czech Republic. Saying she had “suffered unimaginable consequences,” Poner lamented the countless men and women “who have lost access to their children, their homes, their jobs, and in some cases their freedom because of false allegations of abuse.” (http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/pdf/11-07-13%20Poner%20Testimony.pdf)

“Our nation was founded on due process protections such as the right of the accused to be advised of the charges, to confront his accuser, and to be afforded the opportunity to refute the accusations,” notes SAVE spokesman Philip Cook. “But under the existing VAWA, the accused is stripped of these Constitutional protections, affording more rights to the accuser than to the American citizen. This is a slap in the face to notions of justice and fairness.”

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

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PR: VAWA Must Stop Funding Lethal Mandatory Arrest Policies

Post author By saveadmin
Post date May 8, 2012

PRESS RELEASE

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

VAWA Must Stop Funding Lethal Mandatory Arrest Policies

Washington, DC/May 8, 2012 — States that enacted mandatory arrest policies saw a 60 percent increase in intimate partner homicides, according to a Harvard U. study. Now, Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE) is calling on lawmakers involved in the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) to halt funding for such lethal policies.

Beginning in 1994, VAWA pushed states to change their domestic violence arrest standards from probable cause to the more aggressive mandatory arrest policy. Under mandatory arrest, the accused person is taken away in handcuffs if the police are called, even in the absence of evidence of physical violence.

VAWA’s 2005 reauthorization did away with the mandatory arrest language, but states continued to enforce these harmful policies. SAVE insists that the House of Representatives insert language in its version of VAWA that would stop taxpayer funding of arrest without probable cause.

Victims usually just want an officer’s help to defuse the situation, and are less likely to call for help if it will mean an arrest. So police aren’t there when they are needed most. Harvard researcher Dr. Radha Iyengar explains, “victims don’t want to call the police after the laws are implemented.”

SAVE’s report further details how the spike in homicides—more than 600 intimate partner murders a year—can be attributed to the mandatory arrest policies. http://www.saveservices.org/downloads/Justice-Denied-DV-Arrest-Policies

Besides loss of life, VAWA’s mandatory arrest policies have resulted in a civil rights fiasco by compromising the due process rights of the accused. Nearly 70 percent of those arrested are never convicted of the alleged offense—a sign that Fourth Amendment probable cause protections often are not met.

Said SAVE spokesman Philip W. Cook: “The needless loss of 600 lives each year is a stinging indictment of mandatory arrest. Amazingly, Congress continues to dole out $30 million in taxpayer money each year to support this blinkered policy.”

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

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PR: $1.2 Million in Anti-Violence Funds Embezzled, Missing, or Misused: Fraud is Widespread, SAVE Charges

Post author By saveadmin
Post date April 4, 2012

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

$1.2 Million in Anti-Violence Funds Embezzled, Missing, or Misused: Fraud is Widespread, SAVE Charges

Washington, DC/April 4, 2012 – Following release of three reports by the Department of Justice, Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE) is charging that many grants made under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) are plagued by fraud and waste. Such malfeasance shortchanges the vulnerable victims of partner abuse.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued three reports in March highlighting the problem:

1. A March 28 press release announced the sentencing of Julie and Andrea Matau for embezzlement of funds from a VAWA grant. From 2005 to 2007, the mother and daughter pair stole $159,763 in federal money from their American Samoa legal services corporation, which had received $1.2 million in VAWA-related grants. http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2012/March/12-crm-386.html

2. A DOJ audit of the Virgin Islands Law Enforcement Planning Commission reported that $847,553 in funds awarded by the Office of Violence Against Women were found to be questionable. Of this amount, $372,434 of expenditures had no records to document how the money had been spent. http://www.justice.gov/oig/reports/2012/g4012001.pdf

3. An audit of VAWA grants to the Coeur d’Alene Native American tribe’s domestic violence program revealed $240,431 had been improperly spent, including $171,000 in salary for an unapproved position. http://www.justice.gov/oig/grants/2012/g6012008.pdf

Each year VAWA awards $500 million in grants to abuse-reduction organizations, but fiscal management practices have been found to be sub-standard. A SAVE report documents long-standing problems of fraud and abuse. http://saveservices.org/pdf/SAVE-Accountability-and-Oversight.pdf

The SAVE report points out that the Office of Violence Against Women has not conducted comprehensive self-evaluations, in disregard of directives from the Government Accountability Office and Office of Management and Budget.

Says SAVE spokesman Philip W. Cook: “Victims of domestic violence are ill-served by fraud and waste, especially on such a broad scale. Congress must assure the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act contains strong accountability measures that deny funding to rogue grantees that misuse taxpayer money.”

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