Post by lace on Oct 8, 2006 22:10:35 GMT -5
[glow=red,2,300]Posted October 8, 2006
More seek help for domestic violence[/glow]
It can show up as bruises and broken bones. Or as scabs and emotional scars.
While last weekend's murder of [glow=red,2,300]Jodee Thompson[/glow] is a reminder of the violent nature domestic violence can take, it can also take an emotional toll of its victims, from verbal insults to an emotional beat down. Thompson was murdered by a man she was dating last Saturday night following an argument.
Christine Anne Domestic Abuse Services has seen a significant increase in demand for the services it offers to domestic violence victims, said Julie Fevola, the organization's executive director.
Through the end of August, Christine Anne has provided shelter for 186 individuals, a 37 percent increase over the 136 served through that period in 2005. Those individuals have stayed at the shelter for a total of 7,402 days of care in 2006, a 58 percent increase over the 4,686 days of care the shelter provided in 2005.
"It does not necessarily mean we are seeing a huge spike in domestic violence in Winnebago County, but that more people are seeking help," said Fevola, who noted that October is domestic violence awareness month.
[glow=red,2,300]Still, two of the four homicides in Oshkosh this year were domestic in nature. Zia Yang was murdered by her husband, Yang Pao Lo, in April as she readied to move to California with her children. Lo shot Yang and later turned the weapon on himself during a standoff with police. [/glow]
While providing a safe place to stay, Christine Ann also provides individuals with legal help and other forms of counseling. Through August, the shelter provided 526 hours of legal advocacy for 345 clients, a 50 percent increase over the 350 hours provided through August 2005 and a 21 percent increase in clients. It has also seen a 49 percent increase in the number of hours of one-on-one individual advocacy counseling.
Even with that increase, there are still many victims of domestic violence who do not report the incidents. Fevola said Christine Ann received 975 reports of domestic violence arrests in 2005, but said the number of incidents is probably much higher since typically only 20 percent of the incidents are reported.
However, once an arrest is made, some domestic violence incidents may not be prosecuted as a domestic abuse case.
Winnebago County Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Swank said the state statutes have laid out very specific requirements for what kinds of relationships qualify as a "domestic" situation. She said prosecutors can only ask for the $75 domestic abuse surcharge if the two individuals are spouses, former spouses, live together, formerly lived together or have a child together.
[glow=red,2,300]Because of those restrictions, Swank said although Thompson and James Delfosse were dating, the case against Delfosse is not considered a domestic abuse case. He was, however, charged with murder and mutilating a corpse. [/glow]
Swank, who handles all of the domestic abuse cases for Winnebago County, said she thought the state statutes may exclude relationships where two individuals are merely dating because it is difficult to define when a relationship becomes domestic if they are not living together.
When law enforcement officers respond to a domestic abuse call, officers are required to make an arrest. She noted that there is also a 72-hour no contact provision once the arrested person is released from custody.
Once convicted, whether probation, jail or a prison sentence is handed down depends on the incident, but Swank said her office tries to get first-time offenders into counseling programs, hoping to prevent the violence from escalating.
"We know a lot of the relationships will continue, so we're trying to get them into counseling so they can change their thought processes," Swank said. "It's all about homicide prevention. That's what we're doing here."
Jennifer K. Woldt: (920) 426-6676 or jwoldt@thenorthwestern.com.
www.thenorthwestern.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061008/OSH0101/610080395/1987
More seek help for domestic violence[/glow]
It can show up as bruises and broken bones. Or as scabs and emotional scars.
While last weekend's murder of [glow=red,2,300]Jodee Thompson[/glow] is a reminder of the violent nature domestic violence can take, it can also take an emotional toll of its victims, from verbal insults to an emotional beat down. Thompson was murdered by a man she was dating last Saturday night following an argument.
Christine Anne Domestic Abuse Services has seen a significant increase in demand for the services it offers to domestic violence victims, said Julie Fevola, the organization's executive director.
Through the end of August, Christine Anne has provided shelter for 186 individuals, a 37 percent increase over the 136 served through that period in 2005. Those individuals have stayed at the shelter for a total of 7,402 days of care in 2006, a 58 percent increase over the 4,686 days of care the shelter provided in 2005.
"It does not necessarily mean we are seeing a huge spike in domestic violence in Winnebago County, but that more people are seeking help," said Fevola, who noted that October is domestic violence awareness month.
[glow=red,2,300]Still, two of the four homicides in Oshkosh this year were domestic in nature. Zia Yang was murdered by her husband, Yang Pao Lo, in April as she readied to move to California with her children. Lo shot Yang and later turned the weapon on himself during a standoff with police. [/glow]
While providing a safe place to stay, Christine Ann also provides individuals with legal help and other forms of counseling. Through August, the shelter provided 526 hours of legal advocacy for 345 clients, a 50 percent increase over the 350 hours provided through August 2005 and a 21 percent increase in clients. It has also seen a 49 percent increase in the number of hours of one-on-one individual advocacy counseling.
Even with that increase, there are still many victims of domestic violence who do not report the incidents. Fevola said Christine Ann received 975 reports of domestic violence arrests in 2005, but said the number of incidents is probably much higher since typically only 20 percent of the incidents are reported.
However, once an arrest is made, some domestic violence incidents may not be prosecuted as a domestic abuse case.
Winnebago County Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Swank said the state statutes have laid out very specific requirements for what kinds of relationships qualify as a "domestic" situation. She said prosecutors can only ask for the $75 domestic abuse surcharge if the two individuals are spouses, former spouses, live together, formerly lived together or have a child together.
[glow=red,2,300]Because of those restrictions, Swank said although Thompson and James Delfosse were dating, the case against Delfosse is not considered a domestic abuse case. He was, however, charged with murder and mutilating a corpse. [/glow]
Swank, who handles all of the domestic abuse cases for Winnebago County, said she thought the state statutes may exclude relationships where two individuals are merely dating because it is difficult to define when a relationship becomes domestic if they are not living together.
When law enforcement officers respond to a domestic abuse call, officers are required to make an arrest. She noted that there is also a 72-hour no contact provision once the arrested person is released from custody.
Once convicted, whether probation, jail or a prison sentence is handed down depends on the incident, but Swank said her office tries to get first-time offenders into counseling programs, hoping to prevent the violence from escalating.
"We know a lot of the relationships will continue, so we're trying to get them into counseling so they can change their thought processes," Swank said. "It's all about homicide prevention. That's what we're doing here."
Jennifer K. Woldt: (920) 426-6676 or jwoldt@thenorthwestern.com.
www.thenorthwestern.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061008/OSH0101/610080395/1987