When DV Survivors Wind Up Behind Bars

It shouldn’t surprise us to learn that many of the women in prison who’ve been convicted of murder or manslaughter were previously victims of intimate partner violence. In one such case, a woman stabbed a former boyfriend after months of stalking. In another, a woman killed her partner, who’d repeatedly raped and beaten her despite multiple reports to police. Sometimes, women say they have been imprisoned after assisting an abuser in a criminal endeavor, fearing his response if they refused. Some women were even penalized for failing to protect their children from abuse that became deadly. Some states—including Nevada—punish parents who put children in dangerous situations. Across the country, at least 100 women have been sent to prisons for accomplice liability or failure to protect.

 “Forgotten Women”

 Stanford University researcher Andrea Cimino calls those who are imprisoned due to actions they took to survive domestic violence the forgotten women. She says courts have failed to address the realities of life for such women, and the reasons that they can be backed into committing violent acts themselves as a result of their victimization. Nearly three-quarters of imprisoned women surveyed report having experienced extreme violence at the hands of an intimate partner within a year of their own offences. Tales of women living in fear, and suffering emotional, physical, sexual, and financial attacks, have long been overlooked by prosecutors, courts, and policies.

Senator Cory Booker agrees, noting that since the majority of incarcerated women have at some time been victims of sexual violence, society has an obligation to both do more to protect women from such violence, and do more to assist survivors of violence to find safety and peace. Rather than compounding their trauma, prisons and jails should provide programs to help heal.

Alarming Findings 

The Stanford study, which focused on women, describes some truly distressing findings:

• The rate of intimate partner violence for women who are incarcerated is roughly ten times greater than it is for the general population.
• About 30 percent of incarcerated women were choked or strangled multiple times– to the point of dizziness or blacking out. Such injuries can result in traumatic brain injuries.
• When a woman is at imminent risk of being killed, that danger extends to all members of the household.
• Victims of domestic violence perceive greater rates of income and gender bias than women who have not experienced such abuse.

Defending Women 

The dedicated, creative Las Vegas criminal defense attorneys at Lobo Law understand the connections between intimate partner violence and future criminal involvement. We fight to bring all the facts to the table in a criminal case, always fighting for the best possible outcomes for our clients.  To discuss, schedule a confidential consultation in our Las Vegas office today.

Source:

leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-432b.html