forked from postandcourier/domestic-violence
-
Notifications
You must be signed in to change notification settings - Fork 0
/
partseven.html
611 lines (521 loc) · 38.7 KB
/
partseven.html
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402
403
404
405
406
407
408
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
448
449
450
451
452
453
454
455
456
457
458
459
460
461
462
463
464
465
466
467
468
469
470
471
472
473
474
475
476
477
478
479
480
481
482
483
484
485
486
487
488
489
490
491
492
493
494
495
496
497
498
499
500
501
502
503
504
505
506
507
508
509
510
511
512
513
514
515
516
517
518
519
520
521
522
523
524
525
526
527
528
529
530
531
532
533
534
535
536
537
538
539
540
541
542
543
544
545
546
547
548
549
550
551
552
553
554
555
556
557
558
559
560
561
562
563
564
565
566
567
568
569
570
571
572
573
574
575
576
577
578
579
580
581
582
583
584
585
586
587
588
589
590
591
592
593
594
595
596
597
598
599
600
601
602
603
604
605
606
607
608
609
610
611
<!DOCTYPE html>
<!--[if lt IE 7 ]><html lang="en" class="ie ie-6"><![endif]-->
<!--[if IE 7 ]><html lang="en" class="ie ie-7"><![endif]-->
<!--[if IE 8 ]><html lang="en" class="ie ie-8"><![endif]-->
<!--[if IE 9 ]><html lang="en" class="ie ie-9"><![endif]-->
<!--[if (gt IE 9)|!(IE)]><!--><html lang="en"><!--<![endif]-->
<head>
<!-- /templates/macros/postandcourier/header-home -->
<meta charset="utf-8" />
<!--
oooo. ,,o
8" 888ooo8'88 `"8oo88o. o8
8' 88 | 88o88o ,o8o. 88 88 o. .o8o,..o88o'
88 88 | 88 88 o8 8" ,88 88 .8P"Yb 88 / 88
88: 88 | 88 88 88." o888 88 88 88 "8P'.8o 88
"88 88 | 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 / 88 88
"88ooo88 "8 8" "8oo8 ,o88oo88" "V8V" .o8,o8P V8. ,
88 """
88. 8"
'88. ,, ,oo,, "8o
.o.o. o. o. .'88. .8" 88 | o. .o .o .o ,o ,. .o8o..o ,o
"" V8 'Y8P"Y8 88 88 o8 88 | .8P"Yb 88 88 88" 8" 88' o8 8" 88" 8"
oP"88 88 88 88 88 88 88 | 88 88 88 88 88 88 88." 88
o8 88 88 88 88 88 '88 ,Y" |o 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 , 88
"VP""8. "8. "8. "V8o" '88oo88" "V8V" "8o'"8o "8o "8o "8oo8 "8o
'''
- - - - - -
Designed by J. Emory Parker in Charleston, SC
With assisance from
INFORMED INTERACTIVE
Laura James, Kurt Knapek, Chip Sanders, Kim Tant
ALSO
Laura Gaton, Mitch Pugh
PROJECT CARBON: Version 1.0 -- Launched May 29, 2014
-->
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0, maximum-scale=1.0, user-scalable=no" />
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge,chrome=1">
<meta name="robots" content="follow,index" />
<meta name="msvalidate.01" content="05BAEC9D8820FA9F10D57DB6EB3C6192" />
<meta name="google-site-verification" content="rAW9DX7yfiFF82k05QGF6LbZBkxcKxMTzAwNv0OCKAM" />
<link rel="canonical" href="http://www.postandcourier.com/tilldeath/partseven.html" />
<title>Till death do us part: Part Seven | A Post and Courier Special Report</title>
<meta name="description" content="If the state doesn’t challenge the attitudes and behaviors that perpetuate abuse, South Carolina women will continue to die at an alarming rate. They don’t have to." />
<meta name="keywords" content="tilldeath, till death do us part,domestix violence,CDV,criminal domestic violence,women,violence,guns,Charleston,Charleston SC,Charleston news,Post and Courier,Post and Courier news,postandcourier.com,lowcountry,lowcountry news,news,news online,breaking news,U.S. news,world news,weather,business,sports,politics,law,technology,entertainment,education,travel,health,special reports,autos,developing story,news video," />
<link rel="shortcut icon" href="http://www.postandcourier.com/css/carbon/favicon-carbon.png" />
<meta property="og:type" content="article" />
<meta property="og:description" content="If the state doesn’t challenge the attitudes and behaviors that perpetuate abuse, South Carolina women will continue to die at an alarming rate. They don’t have to." />
<meta property="og:site_name" content="Post and Courier" />
<meta property="og:image" content="http://www.postandcourier.com/tilldeath/images/p7-lead-thumb.jpg" />
<meta property="og:image:url" content="http://www.postandcourier.com/tilldeath/images/p7-lead-thumb.jpg" />
<meta property="og:title" content="Till death do us part: Enough is enough | Part Seven" />
<meta property="og:url" content="http://www.postandcourier.com/tilldeath/partseven.html" />
<meta property="article:published_time" content="20140819184752" />
<meta property="article:modified_time" content="201408191847" />
<meta property="fb:app_id" content="146078808769941" />
<!-- styles -->
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="http://www.postandcourier.com/css/carbon/stylesheets/app.css&ver=2" />
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="http://www.postandcourier.com/css/carbon/fonts/clarendon/stylesheet.css" />
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="http://www.postandcourier.com/css/carbon/stylesheets/icomoo.css" />
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="http://www.postandcourier.com/css/carbon/stylesheets/climacons-font.css" />
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="http://www.postandcourier.com/css/carbon/stylesheets/responsive-embed.css" />
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="cdv-proj/stylesheets/screen.css" />
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="cdv-proj/stylesheets/font-awesome.min.css">
<link href='http://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Open+Sans:400,300,600,700' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css' data-norem >
<link rel="stylesheet" href="http://www.postandcourier.com/css/carbon/stylesheets/slidebars.css" data-norem>
<script src="http://code.jquery.com/jquery-1.11.0.min.js"></script>
<script src="http://www.postandcourier.com/js/carbon/modernizr.js"></script>
<!--[if lt IE 9]>
<script src="http://www.postandcourier.com//cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/html5shiv/3.6.2/html5shiv.js"></script>
<script src="http://www.postandcourier.com//cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/respond.js/1.1.0/respond.min.js"></script>
<script src="http://www.postandcourier.com/js/carbon/cookie.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="stylesheets/ie-styles.css" />
<script type="text/javascript">
var COOKIE_NAME = 'ie-splash-page-cookie-2';
$go = $.cookie(COOKIE_NAME);
if ($go == null) {
window.location = "/apps/pbcs.dll/section?template=pc-ie-warning"
}
else {
}
</script>
<![endif]-->
<!-- get action type: -->
<!-- create global action type var too: -->
<script type="text/javascript">
(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','__gaTracker');
__gaTracker('create', 'UA-8046840-2', 'postandcourier.com', {'siteSpeedSampleRate': 20});
__gaTracker('set', {
'dimension1': 'tilldeath', //section
'dimension2': 'part-seven', //channel
'dimension3': 'saxotech', // vendor
'dimension4': 'post and courier', //site
'dimension5': 'none', //author
'dimension6': 'none' //asset id
});
__gaTracker('send', 'pageview');
__gaTracker('set', '_setLocalRemoteServerMode');
__gaTracker('set', '_setLocalGifPath', '//tracking.postandcourier.com/pc/__utm.gif');
</script>
<!-- Quantcast Tag -->
<script type="text/javascript">
var _qevents = _qevents || [];
(function() {
var elem = document.createElement('script');
elem.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://secure" : "http://edge") + ".quantserve.com/quant.js";
elem.async = true;
elem.type = "text/javascript";
var scpt = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0];
scpt.parentNode.insertBefore(elem, scpt);
})();
_qevents.push({
qacct:"p-TSF1SuGWwgTvE"
});
</script>
<!-- End Quantcast tag -->
</head>
<body>
<div class="fixed">
<nav class="top-bar" data-topbar>
<!--TITLE AREA OF THE NAVIGATION-->
<ul class="title-area">
<li class="name">
<h1 class="show-for-large-up"><a href="http://www.postandcourier.com">The Post and Courier</a> </span><span class="cdvred">Till death do us part</span></h1>
<h1 class="hide-for-large-up"><span class="cdvred">Till death do us part</span></h1>
</li>
<li class="toggle-topbar menu-icon">
<a href="#">
<span>MENU</span>
</a>
</li>
</ul>
<!--NAVIGATION SECTIONS-->
<section class="top-bar-section">
<ul class="right">
<li>
<div class="parts-label-topbar">Parts</div>
</li>
<li>
<a href="partone.html">One</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="parttwo.html">Two</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="partthree.html">Three</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="partfour.html">Four</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="partfive.html">Five</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="partsix.html">Six</a>
</li>
<li class="active">
<a href="partseven.html">Seven</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="http://www.postandcourier.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=search&kwords=till&trendname=TillDeath&sortbydate=1">Updates</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="http://twitter.com/share?url=http://www.postandcourier.com/tilldeath/partseven.html&related=postandcourier&hashtags=tilldeath&text=Till%20death%20do%20us%20part%3A%20Part%20Seven" target="_blank" onclick="return windowpop(this.href, 545, 433)"><i class="fa fa-twitter"></i></a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/dialog/share?app_id=146078808769941&display=popup&href=http://www.postandcourier.com/tilldeath/partseven.html&related=postandcourier&redirect_uri=http://www.postandcourier.com/tilldeath/partseven.html&related=postandcourier" target="_blank" onclick="return windowpop(this.href, 545, 433)"><i class="fa fa-facebook"></i></a>
</li>
</ul>
</section>
</nav>
</div>
<div id="skrollr-body">
<section id="intro" class="element-full-height dark-bkg full-hero">
<div class="cover-background ani-set height-fix" style="background-image:url(images/p7-lead.jpg)" data-bottom-top="transform:translate3d(0px, -20%, 0px)" data-top-bottom="transform:translate3d(0px, 20%, 0px)">
<div class="cover-darken"></div>
</div>
<div class="gen-tease-wrap">
<p class="gen-tease ani-set">If the state doesn’t challenge the attitudes and behaviors that perpetuate abuse, South Carolina women will continue to die at an alarming rate.</p>
<p class="gen-tease ani-set delay">They don't have to.</p>
</div>
<script type="text/javascript">
$(document).ready(function(){
$(".ani-set").addClass("animated");
});
</script>
<div class="gen-head-red ani-set delay">
<h3>Part seven</h3>
<hr>
<h1>Enough is enough</h1>
<div class="scroll-call ani-set">scroll <i class="fa fa-angle-double-down"></i> down</div>
</div>
</section>
<section id="content" class="opaque-section">
<div class="row">
<div class="medium-8 medium-offset-2 columns pad-top">
<p class="drop-cap lead-graph">A chorus of voices that includes police, pastors and politicians, has condemned South Carolina’s grisly record of violence toward women. Their words, however, haven’t translated into much action. </p>
<aside class="factbox right">
<h2>Need help now?</h2>
<p><strong>My Sister’s House</strong> Domestic violence services for Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties<br><strong>Phone</strong> (843) 747-4069<br><strong>Hotline</strong> (800) 273-4673</p>
<p><strong>People Against Rape</strong> Sexual assault services for Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester<br><strong>Phone</strong> (843) 577-9882<br><strong>Hotline</strong> (843) 745-0144</p>
<p><strong>Liza’s Lifeline</strong> Education, aid to victims, their families and pets<br><strong>Phone</strong> (843) 991-9085</p>
<p><strong>Family Court</strong> (orders of protection)<br>
<strong>Charleston County</strong> (843) 958-4400<br>
<strong>Berkeley County</strong> (843) 719-4500<br>
<strong>Dorchester County</strong> (843) 832-0360</p>
</aside>
<p>South Carolina has made little progress in addressing domestic violence in the year since it was ranked No. 1 in the nation for the rate of women killed by men.</p>
<p>Domestic violence is an ingrained, complicated and generational problem in the Palmetto State. But that doesn’t mean it cannot be solved.</p>
<p>To produce this series, The Post and Courier reviewed dozens of reports and studies, examined efforts underway in other states and interviewed more than 100 police officers, lawyers, judges, victims, counselors, victim advocates, politicians, clergy and more. This endeavor produced a number of concrete proposals aimed at curbing the bloodshed. </p>
<p>Some proposed fixes would cost money, but most could be accomplished with existing resources and some revisions to the state’s laws. What is really needed is leadership from top elected officials, commitment from each of the state’s counties and the participation of an engaged public.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="art-row-image element-full-height dark-bkg full-hero">
<div class="cover-background" style="background-image:url(images/p5-arrest1.jpg)"
data-bottom-top="transform:translate3d(0px, -8%, 0px)"
data-top-bottom="transform:translate3d(0px, 8%, 0px)"></div>
<div class="caption-row" data-alert>
<a href="#" class="close pull-right">×</a>
<p class="image-caption">
North Charleston police officer Adrian Besancon takes a man into custody in early June after his live-in girlfriend accused him of assaulting her. The charge was later dismissed after the woman opted not to testify against him. A sampling of state courts found that more than half of the 5,300 misdemeanor domestic violence cases studied between 2012 and 2013 were eventually dropped before trial.
<small>Glenn Smith/Staff</small>
</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="row problems">
<div class="medium-4 medium-offset-2 columns pad-top">
<p><b>Problem:</b> Domestic abusers face little actual jail time on a first or second conviction. A first-time offender faces a maximum of 30 days in jail for beating a loved one, about the same penalty he would receive for shoplifting or trespassing. Police, prosecutors and judges contend this doesn’t serve as an effective deterrent and allows abusers to return home at a time when the victim is at the greatest risk for retribution.</p>
</div>
<div class="medium-4 columns pad-top">
<p><b>Solution:</b> Increase the maximum penalty for first-time criminal domestic violence convictions to a year in prison, bringing South Carolina in line with states such as Georgia and Alabama. Legislation was proposed last year to make that change and to increase the maximum penalty for a second offense from one to three years. Those bills, however, died in legislative committees without coming to a vote. Lawmakers have pledged to reintroduce the measures when the Legislature reconvenes in January.</p>
<p>House Speaker Bobby Harrell also told The Post and Courier he plans to appoint a committee to study potential changes to the state’s domestic violence laws.</p>
</div>
</div>
<hr class="problem-sep">
<div class="row problems">
<div class="medium-4 medium-offset-2 columns pad-top">
<h4>Problem</h4>
<p>Some 65 percent of domestic murders of women in South Carolina are committed with guns, but the state has no provisions for removing firearms from the homes of convicted abusers. The state requires that judges inform those convicted of domestic violence that federal law prevents them from possessing guns. But the state has no mechanism to ensure offenders comply with that restriction. About one in five gun-related domestic violence killings over the past decade were committed by people who had been barred under federal law from owning or possessing firearms.</p>
</div>
<div class="medium-4 columns pad-top">
<h4>Solution</h4>
<p>Enact a state law that mirrors the federal prohibition and prohibits gun possession by those convicted of criminal domestic violence or facing an active restraining order. The state also could authorize law enforcement to remove weapons from the homes in question.</p>
<p>More than a dozen states already bar possession of firearms by domestic violence offenders. More than two-thirds of the states and the federal government prohibit firearm possession by abusers who are subject to domestic protective orders.</p>
<p>Legislation to bring South Carolina in line with these states died in the past session in committees without a vote taking place.</p>
</div>
</div>
<hr class="problem-sep">
<div class="row problems">
<div class="medium-4 medium-offset-2 columns pad-top">
<h4>Problem</h4>
<p>The state has no system in place for assessing which abusers represent the greatest danger for their victims and for taking steps to protect those women. A handful of communities, including Spartanburg, have adopted some form of screening, but no coordinated approach exists statewide to bring police, prosecutors and others together to identify high-risk cases and take action.</p>
</div>
<div class="medium-4 columns pad-top">
<h4>Solution</h4>
<p>Adopt a statewide lethality screening similar to that pioneered in the state of Maryland. When responding to domestic violence calls, officers use a checklist of factors, including the presence of weapons and evidence of strangulation, to determine which women face the greatest danger. </p>
<p>The state also could adopt a Massachusetts model in which teams of police, prosecutors, probation agents and others regularly review cases to identify dangerous abusers and formulate action plans. Among the options at their disposal is jailing offenders until trial if the courts deem them a sufficient threat. This defuses volatile situations and protects the women against further abuse.</p>
<p>Areas where these models have been employed have experienced sizable drops in domestic killings. </p>
<p>The city of North Charleston is among 12 communities across the country under consideration to receive training in these methods.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="art-row-image element-full-height dark-bkg full-hero">
<div class="cover-background" style="background-image:url(images/p7-ankle.jpg)"
data-bottom-top="transform:translate3d(0px, -8%, 0px)"
data-top-bottom="transform:translate3d(0px, 8%, 0px)"></div>
<div class="caption-row" data-alert>
<a href="#" class="close pull-right">×</a>
<p class="image-caption">
Newburyport, Mass., and several other communities use electronic monitoring to ensure domestic offenders stay away from the women they are accused of assaulting. Violations can result in an immediate trip back to jail.
<small>File/Wade Spees/Staff)</small>
</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="row problems">
<div class="medium-4 medium-offset-2 columns pad-top">
<h4>Problem</h4>
<p>Restraining orders lack teeth for enforcement, leaving it up to victims to alert authorities when an abuser has crossed the line. The onus is placed on victims to obtain a protective order from Family Court, to watch for potential violations and to have the order on hand in the event police need to be called.</p>
</div>
<div class="medium-4 columns pad-top">
<h4>Solution</h4>
<p>Require electronic monitoring for those facing restraining orders in pending criminal domestic violence cases, paid for by fees assessed on the offender. High-risk teams in Massachusetts map “hot zones” where offenders can’t venture, and police are dispatched when a violation occurs. Those who are free on bail are quickly jailed for violating their bonds.</p>
<p>The state also could create a statewide database that police can access to determine if a restraining order is in place when they respond to a domestic call. </p>
<p>Penalties for violating orders could be increased beyond the 30-day maximum sentence, with jail an immediate option for those who ignore restrictions while free on bail.</p>
<p>Legislation was submitted this past session in the House and Senate to ease the hurdles for victims by allowing them to petition for protective orders at the time of bond hearings. The bill died in committee without coming to a vote.</p>
</div>
</div>
<hr class="problem-sep">
<div class="row problems">
<div class="medium-4 medium-offset-2 columns pad-top">
<h4>Problem</h4>
<p>South Carolina has escalating penalties for repeat violators of its domestic violence laws, but too many gaps in the system prevent those enhanced punishments from kicking in. For example, magistrate and municipal courts frequently fail to report misdemeanor convictions to the state, leading to repeat offenders being charged multiple times for first-offense criminal domestic violence. This allows the abuser to continue to face the minimum sentence available. </p>
</div>
<div class="medium-4 columns pad-top">
<h4>Solution</h4>
<p>Push these summary courts to report the disposition of all misdemeanor domestic violence cases to the State Law Enforcement Division so convictions register on offenders’ rap sheets. Eliminating confusion over the outcome of prior charges reduces the chances of abusers being charged again and again as first-time offenders.</p>
<p>The state also could eliminate a provision allowing offenders to expunge first-offense convictions for domestic violence after five years.</p>
<p>Also in need of review is a law that wipes the slate clean and allows abusers to be charged as first-time offenders 10 years after their initial conviction. Such loopholes allow abusers to avoid accountability for repeat offenses. </p>
<p>The state also could consider establishing a public registry of repeat offenders similar to its sex offender registry, as the parents of a woman slain in Lancaster County last year have proposed.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="art-row-image element-full-height dark-bkg full-hero">
<div class="cover-background" style="background-image:url(images/p7-stabber.jpg)"
data-bottom-top="transform:translate3d(0px, -8%, 0px)"
data-top-bottom="transform:translate3d(0px, 8%, 0px)"></div>
<div class="caption-row" data-alert>
<a href="#" class="close pull-right">×</a>
<p class="image-caption">
Police tape surrounds a James Island home where 25-year-old Tasha Lucia was beaten and stabbed to death on Feb. 12, 2013. South Carolina lacks a team to study such homicides for lessons that could be used to prevent future killings.
<small>File/Paul Zoeller/Staff</small>
</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="row problems">
<div class="medium-4 medium-offset-2 columns pad-top">
<h4>Problem</h4>
<p>The state lacks a designated team tasked with studying domestic homicides in an in-depth, comprehensive manner to look for trends, commonalities and ways to prevent future bloodshed. This presents a missed opportunity for the state to pinpoint ways to increase safety for victims and accountability for abusers.</p>
</div>
<div class="medium-4 columns pad-top">
<h4>Solution</h4>
<p>Create a fatality review team, as 41 other states have done, to study domestic homicides for potential lessons. In North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida and a host of other states, these teams include representatives from a variety of backgrounds, such as police, prosecutors, probation agents, mental health counselors, victim advocates and more. The teams often report holes in the safety net.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="art-row-image element-full-height dark-bkg full-hero">
<div class="cover-background" style="background-image:url(images/p7-horse.jpg)"
data-bottom-top="transform:translate3d(0px, -8%, 0px)"
data-top-bottom="transform:translate3d(0px, 8%, 0px)"></div>
<div class="caption-row" data-alert>
<a href="#" class="close pull-right">×</a>
<p class="image-caption">
Women who leave abusive relationships often have to bring their children with them to shelters. At My Sister's House, a Charleston area shelter, children have a playroom.
<small>File/Paul Zoeller/Staff</small>
</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="row problems">
<div class="medium-4 medium-offset-2 columns pad-top">
<h4>Problem</h4>
<p>Domestic violence is a generational problem passed down through families. Children witness abuse in the home and mimic that behavior, growing up with a distorted view of how relationships function and often falling into abusive relationships themselves.</p>
</div>
<div class="medium-4 columns pad-top">
<h4>Solution</h4>
<p>Adopt statewide a Charleston police approach of designating a victim advocate to follow up with children in homes where domestic violence arrests have occurred. The advocate looks for signs of abusive behavior emerging in the children at home or school and attempts to connect them with counseling and other services.</p>
<p>Schools and churches could be encouraged to work with nonprofit children’s centers to explore ways to teach youth about the importance of healthy relationships and nonviolent approaches to resolving conflicts.</p>
<p>A 2011 study of Charleston County domestic violence incidents indicated law enforcement officers seldom charged abusers for subjecting children to violence in the home. The study also indicated that many officers were confused by how child endangerment laws applied in these situations. More training for police has been suggested as a way to hold offenders more accountable.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="art-row-image element-full-height dark-bkg full-hero">
<div class="cover-background" style="background-image:url(images/p7-neck.jpg)"
data-bottom-top="transform:translate3d(0px, -8%, 0px)"
data-top-bottom="transform:translate3d(0px, 8%, 0px)"></div>
<div class="caption-row" data-alert>
<a href="#" class="close pull-right">×</a>
<p class="image-caption">
A woman in a 2006 assault in Charleston County shows her injuries to an investigator at a crime scene. Properly documenting domestic assaults can help prosecutors win convictions, as it did in this case, where an 18-year sentence was handed down.
<small>PROVIDED</small>
</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="row problems">
<div class="medium-4 medium-offset-2 columns pad-top">
<h4>Problem</h4>
<p>Failure by law enforcement to properly document elements of abuse in incident reports can hamper prosecution when cases go to court. Incomplete reports also leave other officers unaware of the bigger picture when responding to future calls at these homes.</p>
</div>
<div class="medium-4 columns pad-top">
<h4>Solution</h4>
<p>Adopt a statewide standardized investigative incident form for criminal domestic violence. Train officers to fully describe in incident reports the nature of injuries to each woman, the history of domestic abuse calls to the home and past charges against abusers. This builds a record to help track escalating violence in the home. Officers should note the presence of children to allow for the possibility of additional charges or intervention. </p>
<p>The format on statewide incident reports could be slightly altered to include a box for officers to check if strangulation was involved — a key indicator of mounting violence and a potentially lethal situation. This would be useful for both tracking and research purposes.</p>
</div>
</div>
<hr class="problem-sep">
<div class="row problems">
<div class="medium-4 medium-offset-2 columns pad-top">
<h4>Problem</h4>
<p>Strangulation is not properly addressed in the state’s domestic violence laws. A 2011 study of Charleston County incident reports found that about 60 percent of all domestic strangling episodes resulted in misdemeanor charges. </p>
</div>
<div class="medium-4 columns pad-top">
<h4>Solution</h4>
<p>Add strangulation to the list of offenses that can trigger a felony charge of high and aggravated criminal domestic violence.</p>
<p>State Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, an Orangeburg Democrat, sponsored legislation this past session to amend the felony law to include strangulation. That bill died in committee without coming to a vote.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="art-row-image element-full-height dark-bkg full-hero">
<div class="cover-background" style="background-image:url(images/p7-win2.jpg)"
data-bottom-top="transform:translate3d(0px, -8%, 0px)"
data-top-bottom="transform:translate3d(0px, 8%, 0px)"></div>
<div class="caption-row" data-alert>
<a href="#" class="close pull-right">×</a>
<p class="image-caption">
A Mount Pleasant woman speaks to Charleston County Magistrate Linda Lombard at her husband’s April bail hearing on charges of aggravated domestic violence.
<small>Brad Nettles/Staff</small>
</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="row problems">
<div class="medium-4 medium-offset-2 columns pad-top">
<h4>Problem</h4>
<p>The state’s bond hearing system makes it too easy for abusers to quickly get out of jail without a cooling off period to discourage further violence. On a first-offense charge, an abuser generally has to put down no more than $250 to secure his release. Some are simply set free on their own recognizance.</p>
</div>
<div class="medium-4 columns pad-top">
<h4>Solution</h4>
<p>Adopt better screening of offenders to pinpoint those who present the most danger to their victims. Before bail is set, prosecutors and police should make sure judges have an offender’s full criminal history to review as well as pertinent reports about past episodes of violence. </p>
<p>The state also could consider raising bail limits for domestic violence offenders to give the courts greater leverage over their behavior.</p>
<p>Legislation submitted in the past session in the House called for ending the practice of releasing domestic violence suspects on personal recognizance bonds. That bill, however, died in committee without coming to a vote.</p>
</div>
</div>
<hr class="problem-sep">
<div class="row problems">
<div class="medium-4 medium-offset-2 columns pad-top">
<h4>Problem</h4>
<p>South Carolina limits those covered by criminal domestic violence laws to spouses, ex-spouses, people with a child in common or men and women who are or were living together. This definition overlooks a large segment of intimate partners who are victimized. </p>
</div>
<div class="medium-4 columns pad-top">
<h4>Solution</h4>
<p>Expand state law to cover all intimate partners, which would include present and former boyfriends and girlfriends and same-sex couples. Other states have moved in this direction. North Carolina, for example, extends protections to members of the opposite sex who are dating. Colorado goes further, extending protections to same-sex partners.</p>
</div>
</div>
<hr class="problem-sep">
<div class="row problems">
<div class="medium-4 medium-offset-2 columns pad-top">
<h4>Problem</h4>
<p>The state doesn’t track the outcome of misdemeanor domestic violence charges handled in municipal and magistrate courts, though those represent the overwhelming majority of domestic cases filed each year. The state does collect information on felony domestic charges but doesn’t publish all of that information. This leaves the courts and the public in the dark as to how effectively these cases are being prosecuted and decided across the state, and which areas might need additional resources.</p>
</div>
<div class="medium-4 columns pad-top">
<h4>Solution</h4>
<p>Require that the state Judicial Department collect and analyze the dispositions of summary court cases to determine how many criminal domestic violence charges result in convictions and what average sentences are being applied. The Judicial Department could more readily use the data already collected from felony cases to present a fuller picture of how these cases are handled in the state’s General Sessions courts.</p>
</div>
</div>
<hr class="problem-sep">
<div class="row problems">
<div class="medium-4 medium-offset-2 columns pad-top">
<h4>Problem</h4>
<p>South Carolina deals with domestic violence primarily as a criminal justice problem, devoting few resources to education and prevention.</p>
</div>
<div class="medium-4 columns pad-top">
<h4>Solution</h4>
<p>Many experts, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, view it as “a serious, preventable public health problem” that affects about 5.3 million women in the United States annually. The center’s goal is to stop intimate partner violence before it begins. It promotes programs to encourage healthy behaviors in relationships, and efforts to teach young people skills for dating and other relationships that can prevent violence. South Carolina should introduce such classes in public schools and launch a public health campaign, modeled on anti-smoking efforts, to change the attitudes that breed domestic violence.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<hr class="faces-sep">
<p class="text-center"><a href="http://www.postandcourier.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=search&kwords=till&trendname=TillDeath&sortbydate=1"><em>Read continuing coverage of this story...</em></a></p>
</section>
<style>
#footer div a {
font-size: 100%;
border-bottom: 1px dotted #666;
}
</style>
<section id="footer" class="teal-bkg">
<div class="row">
<div class="small-12 medium-4 columns">
<img alt="#" class="footer-logo" src="http://www.postandcourier.com/images/pclogo.png">
<p class="text-center">© 2014, The Post and Courier, an Evening Post Industries company.<br> All Rights Reserved.</p>
<p class="text-center">Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of Term of Use, Parental Consent Form, and Privacy Policy.</p>
</div>
<div class="small-12 medium-4 columns">
<h4>Credits</h4>
<p><strong>Reported By</strong> <a href="http://www.postandcourier.com/apps/pbcs.dll/personalia?ID=64">Doug Pardue</a>, <a href="http://www.postandcourier.com/apps/pbcs.dll/personalia?ID=81">Glenn Smith</a>, <a href="http://www.postandcourier.com/apps/pbcs.dll/personalia?ID=172">Jennifer Berry Hawes</a> and Natalie Caula Hauff</p>
<p><strong>Photography</strong> <a href="http://www.postandcourier.com/apps/pbcs.dll/personalia?ID=105">Grace Beahm<a href="http://www.postandcourier.com/apps/pbcs.dll/personalia?ID=64">, <a href="http://www.postandcourier.com/apps/pbcs.dll/personalia?ID=60">Brad Nettles</a>, <a href="http://www.postandcourier.com/apps/pbcs.dll/personalia?ID=47">Andrew Knapp</a> and Paul Zoeller</p>
<p><strong>Web Production</strong> <a href="http://www.postandcourier.com/apps/pbcs.dll/personalia?ID=210">J. Emory Parker</a> with assistance from <a href="http://www.postandcourier.com/apps/pbcs.dll/personalia?ID=34">Laura J. Gaton</a> and Gill Guerry</p>
<p><strong>Video</strong> <a href="http://www.postandcourier.com/apps/pbcs.dll/personalia?ID=114">Chris Hanclosky</a> and Natalie Caula Hauff</p>
</div>
<div class="small-12 medium-4 columns">
<h4>About this Project</h4>
<p>This project is the result of an eight-month investigation by the Post and Courier. The Center for Investigative Reporting’s Editorial Director Mark Katches consulted on and helped edit the series, while Senior Editor for Data Journalism Jennifer LaFleur provided database training. CIR also provided generous funding for data research and print graphics.</p>
<p>CIR also helped form a consortium with The Post and Courier, WCIV-TV and the University of South Carolina to bring the results of this investigation to a larger audience. University of South Carolina students Isabelle Khurshudyan and Sarah Ellis helped the newspaper and its partners with data research.</p>
</div>
</div>
</section>
</div>
<script src="http://www.postandcourier.com/js/carbon/foundation.min.js"></script>
<script>
var fullHeight = $(window).height(),
fullWidth = $(window).width(),
vidHeight = fullWidth * 0.5625;
$(".element-full-height").height( fullHeight );
$(".video-full-width").height( vidHeight );
$(".video-full-width").width( fullWidth );
$(document).foundation();
$(".video-slide").each(function(i) {
this.addEventListener("ended", function() {
$(this).parent().addClass("video-done");
});
});
$('a[href*=#]').on('click', function(event){
event.preventDefault();
$('html,body').animate({scrollTop:$(this.hash).offset().top}, 500);
});
</script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="js/skrollr.min.js">
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
var s = skrollr.init({
render: function(data) {
$(".video-slide").each(function(i) {
var hasPlayed = $(this).parent().hasClass("video-done");
if( $(this).css("opacity") > 0.8 && !hasPlayed ) {
this.play();
console.log("play");
}
else {
this.pause();
console.log("pause");
};
});
}
});
//function to create popup windows
function windowpop(url, width, height) {
//Open the window.
window.open(url, "Window2", "status=no,height=" + height + ",width=" + width + ",resizable=yes,toolbar=no,menubar=no,scrollbars=yes,location=no,directories=no");
return false;
};
</script>
</body>
</html>