this is shocking and unbelievable

what? that domestic violence happens? HELL NO. it happens in poor homes, in rich homes. in amish homes, in hindu homes, in white homes, in asian homes, in homes where there are kids and homes where there are no kids. most of the time it happens to women, but it does happen to men as well. it happens MOST of the time behind closed doors although sometimes right out in the open. so why am i shocked? this article states THERE IS AN AVERAGE OF A 20% CONVICTION RATE. what? 20% conviction rate? that is sick-making. that is a crime in itself.

are we not worth protecting? are we not taking domestic violence seriously? (the answers to those two questions is no and no obviously)

it's a crime stemming from insecurity. the abusers want POWER and CONTROL. a 2 day stay in the slammer isn't going to 'cure' that (and neither is a forced enrollment in some half-assed class by the way).

how many murders or near murders stemming from domestic violence have happened in connecticut of late? think about it


Courts In Connecticut Vary Widely On Handling Increasing Number Of Domestic Violence Cases

By JOSH KOVNER The Hartford Courant
BRIDGEPORT — - Jaime Acosta, with a two-year jail term hanging over his head for a domestic violence offense, squirms as he stands before Judge Maria Kahn in Superior Court.

He's in the crowded family violence courtroom for a progress report, and the judge has just reminded him he's got a choice: Finish an intensive batterers-intervention program and see the prison sentence and his guilty plea erased, or go to jail. Acosta opts for the program.

"Oh, and he's still having the jealousy issues," prosecutor Judy Stevens says of the 48-year-old Acosta. "I'll ask the program to address that in the classes," Stevens tells the judge, nodding at Roseanne Esposito, who is sitting a few feet away with a notebook on her lap. Esposito's agency runs the batterers' program.

Sounds simple, but this example of the teamwork in Bridgeport, and the fact that specially assigned prosecutors, public defenders, family-relations staffers and a judge handle every domestic violence case that comes into the courthouse, sets Bridgeport apart from many of the other courts in Connecticut.

Despite an increasing family violence caseload statewide, there remains a wide disparity in the way state courts handle these cases, from pushing defendants to go through intense programs under the threat of jail to going little beyond the standard prosecution..................

the courant does a story on domestic violence

we have a VERY small state. VERY small. here are some figures from 2007. remember THESE ARE ONLY THE ONES THAT WERE ACTUALLY REPORTED

we cannot remain silent. we must speak out. we must protect our sisters (yes, and in some cases our brothers) and our children (and animals). an abuser won't stop with his (or her) partner. they'll go on to the kids or animals if they haven't already. speak out. don't be afraid. if you see something or hear something that isn't right, CALL THE POLICE. don't ignore it. DON'T

'in 2007, slightly more than 20,000 incidents in Connecticut were classified by police as family violence cases — crimes involving a spouse, a former spouse, a relative, a boyfriend or girlfriend, a live-in companion or the mother or father of the victim's child. Included in that number are these:

•22 family violence homicides.

•6,543 assaults.

•107 sexual assaults.

•17 kidnappings.

•149 instances of risk of injury to children.

•6,691 cases of disorderly conduct.

•4,212 breach of peace cases.

•2,013 violations of court orders.

•288 instances of criminal mischief.

Those numbers include scores of women who have been victimized more than once.'


High-Profile Cases Put Spotlight On Domestic Abuse

By JOSH KOVNER And ALAINE GRIFFIN The Hartford Courant

Ken Edwards shakes his head in disbelief when he thinks about his first domestic violence training session as a rookie cop in New London in 1981.

The instructor encouraged the young officers to keep family violence a private matter and told them an arrest "is absolutely your last option," Edwards recalled. "Otherwise, see if you can get the guy to take a walk ... down to the corner bar."

That approach is all but extinct today.

The "Tracey Thurman Law" in 1986 made arrests mandatory if there's evidence of an offense. Law enforcement training now delves into the complexity of family violence, and the attitudes of the police, the public, prosecutors and judges have broadened.

Domestic violence, victim advocates say, is finally being seen for what it is: a crime.........

another domestic violence case

but thankfully she escaped her ex husband captor. (as a note, i am NOT a woman who believes a woman should get EVERYTHING in a divorce. a woman should get her fair share and NOTHING more - but NOTHING LESS as well. that includes child custody. if she doesn't deserve it she shouldn't get it. no one should be raked over the coals if they don't deserve it. i don't know what went on in the divorce proceedings for this couple. NOTHING justifies kidnapping and/or taking a hostage).


Hostage Drama Ends In South Windsor

By CHRISTINE DEMPSEY, MARK SPENCER and DAVID OWENS

staff writers Jesse Leavenworth and Hilda Muñoz contributed to this story.

SOUTH WINDSOR - A tense standoff ended early today when Richard Shenkman emerged from his burning house on Tumblebrook Drive, hours after his wife escaped from the home where she had been held hostage since Tuesday morning. Nancy Tyler, who was taken hostage by her ex-husband about 9 a.m. Tuesday in Hartford, escaped from the house at 8:27 p.m. Nearly an hour later, around 9:30 p.m., gunfire and flames erupted at 96 Tumblebrook Drive. Police said all the gunfire came from Shenkman, and that he set fire to the house. As the house burned police called to Shenkman to leave. By 9:55 p.m., the house was engulfed in flames, and gunshots rang out again. "He keeps yelling, 'Shoot me, shoot me,' as if he wanted someone to kill him," South Windsor police Cmdr. Matthew Reed said. Police put Shenkman into an ambulance after he left the house. Police believe Shenkman, 60, took Tyler hostage around 9 a.m. Tuesday in the parking lot of her workplace at CityPlace in downtown Hartford. He allegedly brought her to the house at 96 Tumblebrook Drive, and by 11 a.m., police had cordoned off the house and evacuated the neighborhood as Shenkman threatened to harm his hostage and blow up the house.......

pic: South Windsor firefighters watch from Clearview Drive as the house of Richard Shenkman burns Tuesday evening around 10 p.m. Earlier in the day, Shenkman abducted his estranged wife, Hartford attorney Nancy Tyler, and held her hostage for several hours before she could free herself. Shortly after the police ordered Shenkman out of his home, it became engulfed in flames. (BETTINA HANSEN / HARTFORD COURANT / July 7, 2009)

only one more step

the governor has to approve it and it PASSES!
House approves bill on helping pets in family violence cases

(Hartford-AP)_A bill that would protect pets in family violence cases has cleared the state House of Representatives and now moves to Governor Rell for final approval. The proposed law would allow a judge to issue protective and restraining orders for animals owned or kept by victims of domestic violence, stalking and harassment. North Stonington Representative Diana Urban told fellow lawmakers about an abused woman who went to a safe house to escape her abuser. While she was there, the abuser cut off the ears of the woman's dog and mailed them to her family...............