Domestic violence is the most frequently committed crime in the United States. Yet it is the highest unreported, unpunished, unpublished crime committed in our society today. This is a crime, a crime against the person, which violates that person’s rights as a human being. It is not a Passion Crime that only effects the families within the cruel circle. It is a crime that effects society and the economy of America; our communities are effected in ways no one could even begin to imagine. Only because we as the public are misinformed about the nature, and the facts of the vicious cycle, domestic violence causes on our communities.


We, the public, do not and probably never will understand or comprehend the situations of this heinous act that ends in death and tragedy within homes across the nation. Homes that are suppose to be safe havens, filled with love, and happiness. We will never fully understand the prices of freedom these families have to pay, until we can walk or imagine ourselves in their shoes. No human being should endure such torture and cruelty, as subjected to families involved in this domestic violence circle that may never be broken until we pull together to come up with solutions to the problem at hand.


“Why don’t she leave?” “She must be stupid to stay.” These and many other topics and questions will be hard to comprehend the answer to until you can imagine yourself there. Have you ever feared for your life twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, three hundred sixty five days a year, even while you slept? Probably only if you were at war! This is a fear that no human being should endure, alone. The fear that at any moment your life could be taken by the hands of a person you love, the person you are suppose to be able to trust with your life. This becomes the existence of the members of a dysfunctional family.


So if they fear for their lives then why do they remain in the home, to face the predator, only to become their prey? They stay because they believe they have no other choices in life, this is what starts the cycle. “Unworthy of better”, “Because they were taught nothing different,” “This is how life is suppose be”. They become too terrified to leave and too terrified to stay. They fear for the life and safety of their children, themselves and even fear for the life and safety of their attacker. In most cases when they leave it is their life that is lost. Or they are imprisoned in their minds watching and waiting for their predator to jump out in any second. Even if we do not fully comprehend the facts of the crime, if we as the public can take a stand together then may be we can stop the endless cycle that domestic violence causes.


Have you ever had to walk on eggshells, tip toeing across the floor, trying not to do anything wrong? You are only human, humans make mistakes, and then you find yourself flying across the floor because you didn’t do something correctly within the standards that no human could possibly live up to. Domestic violence is like playing Chess one wrong move and “Check Mate”. This becomes a controlling livelihood; within families that are viciously, physically, emotionally, and threatened of their lives. Raped of all their individual identity, beaten down and broken of their spirits, and their dignity. So what is wrong with this picture? Why is this the highest committed, unreported, unpunished, unpublished crime? Yet! And still to be the most dangerous and deadly crime committed for the families and the police officers? The importance of dealing with domestic violence effectively cannot be underestimated; domestic violence is a vicious cycle.


The lack of attention given to this serious offense, within our law enforcement agencies, causes the victim to think twice about calling the police. “I’ll kill you if you call the police”, is what the victim is hearing in the background, as they are dialing 911. The response generally slower than the response time of regular “Crime in progress” calls. The attitudes and opinions of the law enforcement officer on a call for “Domestic disturbance.” may let their personal aspect and opinions influence their “Officer’s discretion” on the correct way to deal with the situation of the crime committed. While the law enforcement officer is trying to control the situation at their best capabilities, they are faced with their own fear for their lives.  As we learn more about this criminal behavior we can take control of it maybe conquering it once and for all, nothing will work on it’s own, alone. We have to work together to shatter the glass houses that house so many innocent victims hostage.


With the knowledge of this “Domestic violence crime”, we can change many problems that are effecting our society today and the economical aspects of our country. Juvenile crime could possible decrease, because of the counseling and rehabilitation programs for the entire family and all it’s members.


The seriousness of this crime may be whole heartly taken, when we start printing alleged criminals whom have committed this crime, or have been served a restraining order of protection. Let the public be aware of all the offenders who commit cruel and unexplainable acts against the people who love them.


This is a crime that has no preference of race, income level, religions, gender, and age; it effects society as a whole. We hear more about the lower income families because the higher income families charge the hospital bills, stay in a hotel for a couple days to a week, while the lower income families are out on the streets.


Once we educate everyone whom is involved in the entire cycle of domestic violence. We can change another one of society’s other problem that is a result of the violence within our communities, the homeless women and children walking our streets. These women and children make up more then fifty percent of the homeless population. Can’t we come up with a safer way for them to flee from their attackers?


Health and insurance cost would not go sky rocking into space, if we could stop the offender’s violent torture. Battery is currently the leading cause of injuries to American women and children. Only to send more than one million dollars to doctors, ERs, every year. According to the American Medical Association; it also injures the fetuses in uterus thirty-seven percent of all obstetric patients are battered during pregnancy. And figures in that one quarter of suicide attempts are by women, one half by black women.”


All though most do not survive with their own lives, and very few with their minds still intact. By educating the law enforcement agencies and making stronger grounds on enforcing the arrest and incarceration of the offenders. Then we will realize the extreme social problems the cycle forces on society; we can conjure up a solution to the social problem we face in the name of the crime, domestic violence.


We need to readjust the laws and regulations that bind the hands of our law enforcement agencies, and our court system, that may be we will see justice for the lives and happiness lost by the families that become victims of this crime. Zero Tolerance toward this crime needs all the attention that we as the citizens of the Untied States, can offer to give it, just as we do the War on Drugs. Only to find that most of the offenders or victims of domestic violence, which begins the cycle of drugs and alcohol abuse among American families.  The real truth is that most women murdered by men they have a restraining order against, the sometimes, useless document is found by the police in the purse or pocket of the victims.


Domestic violence is a pattern of behavior used by one person to maintain power and control over another. Physical battering is not the only form of abuse. Emotional and sexual abuse such as insults, intimidation, threats and forced sex are also part of an abusive relationship.


Scott Gordon prosecutor in the O.J.Simpson case, now the chairman of L.A.’s forward-thinking Domestic Violence Council, said, “Simpson was killing Nicole for years- she finally died on June twelfth.” The concept of a long, and slow crime that virtually starts at the beginning of their relationship and ends in the death of the women, child or even the attacker.



“We are quick to judge the human rights record of every other country on earth, it is we civilized Americans whose murder rate is ten times that of other Western nations, we civilized Americans who kill women and children with the most alarming frequency. In (sad) fact, if a full jumbo jet crashed into a mountain killing everyone on board, and if that happened every month, month in and month out, the number of people killed still wouldn’t equal the number of women murdered by their husbands and boyfriends each year.”  –Gavin De Becker author of the book Gift of Fear



“We all watched as bodies were carried away from the Oklahoma City bombing, and by the end of the week we learned to our horror that nineteen children had died in the blast. You now know that seventy children died that same week at the hands of their parent, just like every week- and most of them were under five years old. Four million luckier children were physically abused last year, and it was not an unusual year.” –Gavin De Becker author of the book Gift of Fear


“Statistics like this tend to distance us from the tragedies that surround each incident because we end up more impressed by the numbers than by the reality. To bring it closer to home, you probably know a women who has been battered, and you’ve probably seen the warning signs.” –Gavin De Becker author of the book The Gift of Fear



Statistics

•  Every 9 seconds, a woman is battered in the U.S.
• 95%  of all victims of domestic violence are woman
•  Domestic Violence is the single major cause of injuries to woman, more than muggings and car accidents combined.
•  Domestic Violence is the cause of 30% of physical disabilities in women.
•  50% of all women murdered in the United States are killed by a spouse or an acquaintance.
•  Domestic Violence occurs in 60% of marriages and is the most unreported crime.
•  90% of battered women reported that their children were present when they were beaten.
•  25% to 30% of adolescent relationships are abusive.
•  ½ of all rape victims are raped between the ages of 14 and 17
•  As few as 5% of domestic violence victims are identified as such in Emergency Department records.
•  Domestic Violence costs an estimated $1.4 billion annually in medical bills, and an additional $900 million in mental health treatment.

The victims of this vicious crime need also to be educated on the fact that this is not how life is suppose to be. There is a “Happy Ever After” for the ones who are willing to reach out to take the hand for help. You are not alone in this fight for freedom, and peace of mind. You as a victim deserve a better way of life. With the help of your local police department, fire department, sheriff office, local churches, schools, friends, family, Red Cross, and the YWCA in your area. There is help that can be provided to you with all the places go and people to help you, in your time of need so you can get on your feet faster.


We, as the public need to reach out and touch a hand in need of help, fleeing from the offender at large. If you should ever be witness to a crime of domestic violence; do not get involved (it is dangerous enough for the police officer). Go to the nearest phone and call 911. Stay near by so you can file an eyewitness report, this will help in the prosecution. Don’t turn a Blinds Eye. Please! Help Shatter the Glass Houses.


Things that we might look at to change for the lives that are at stake in the American homes. The laws and regulations have changed a lot in the last several years but they still have so much farther to go in order for our country to get control of this crime. Stronger laws and regulations  for the punishment of the crimes they commit. The laws we have today are not strong enough to put an end to this crime. They also still bind the hands of the law enforcement officers and the court systems.


Base the punishment on the level of the crime: probation to incarceration in prison and or county jails. Make the domestic violence crimes a felony. We do DWI -3 strike your felon why not the worst crime in American that take the lives of innocent victims.  This way they can not own weapons. Maybe the offenders would think twice. Make Domestic assault a felony not a misdemeanor. This crime needs stronger classification than just a misdemeanor. Same as murder or temp of murder this crime takes lives in all aspects.


If the victim doesn’t press charges make it mandatory for the state to press charges against offender. Taking it out of the victim’s hands and into the hands of the government. Most of the cases that go before the State are dropped because of the lack of attention to the crime and from the victim.

Make the offenders responsible for the all the medical bills, property damage. Most of the victims end up having to pay the cost of the damage done by the attacker.


Make the Statue of Limitation on domestic Assault more then 2 years, as it is for regular assault cases. Most physical disabilities start to show up later after the 2 years Statue of limitation is over.


Make the Statue of Limitation on the emotional distraught more then 5 years. Most cases it takes the victim longer to be diagnosis with any emotional damage that last a lifetime and effect their lives. Most victims are diagnosis with Post Traumatic Stress disorders, same as our veteran that come home from fighting a war.


Make a law that hospitals and doctors offices have to report to the police any superstitions of domestic violence, same as they have to for gun shot and knife wounds. Most victims of domestic violence enter hospitals and doctors offices and they never get reported as such.


Make the public aware of the offenders who commit the domestic violence crimes. Have a database web site that list anyone and everyone that has been charged or accused of domestic violence and also print in the newspapers across the nation.


Do not put the victim’s address on the order of protection being served to the offender, keep it only for court records. This would make it easier for the victim to move and escape their attacker, making it safer for the families to start over elsewhere.


Make a safer way for the victims to go to court for an order of protection, the standing in front of the judge next to their attacker isn’t a safe nor even an emotional state for the victim to have to face in order to get protection from the law.


Make a Law that makes it possible for the officers to remove the family to safer places, than leaving them at home to face their attacker when bailed out.


Pass regulations and laws that prohibit the victim to be able to post bail for the offender.

Regulations and laws that force the whole family to counseling and that prohibit the victims to return to their attacker.

Educate the family members and the victims on self-defense.