Transitioning Times

The Bureau of Justice Statistics estimates that 3 women are killed by a current or former intimate partner every day. During the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (2001-2012), 6.488 American soldiers were killed. During that same time, 11,766 women were murdered by a current or former male partner. Since 2008, more than 100 people lost their lives as a result of domestic violence each year. Domestic violence is deadly – not just for those who are being abused. In fact, domestic calls are some of the most dangerous for law enforcement. A study by the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund found that 22% of officer deaths that occur in the line of duty happen while responding to domestic violence calls. Those statistics are difficult to understand. With all we know about intimate partner violence, why can’t we stop these killings? Through the Lethality Assessment Program (LAP), the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence is hoping to do just that.  In 2012, PCADV began ...

On March 23, 2013, in Huntingdon County, Hollie Ayer’s estranged husband shot and killed her two-year-old son and then himself.  Hollie had a final protection order against her husband, but it did not require him to turn in his guns.  Last year, 57 Pennsylvanians were shot in domestic violence incidents.  That is over half of all of domestic violence victims who were killed.  People issued final protection from Abuse orders (PFA) from judges should not have access to their guns.  This seems like a pretty clear concept.  However, PA allows this to happen and our legislators have the opportunity to change this. Domestic Violence Victim Services organizations like Transitions are hoping that the PA Senate will make some common sense changes to laws that have long been opposed by the “gun lobby.” Our Senators are considering how to keep victims of abuse and their children safe.  How the process works in Harrisburg and in Washington, D.C., is that the...

Last year there were 97 reported homicides in Pennsylvania as a result of domestic violence. Of those 97, six were murdered by way of strangulation.  Strangulation is, unfortunately, an all too common occurrence in intimate partner relationships in which there is violence; however, it can be difficult to prove. Very often, the victim shows no obvious physical signs immediately following an attack.  Police or EMTs may respond to a domestic violence call in which strangulation occurred, yet find the victim conscious and coherent, making it almost impossible to realize that the victim was just seconds from death prior to their arrival. Currently, an abuser can be charged with aggravated assault if he/she is arrested for strangulation, but, because it is a difficult crime to prove, the charge is frequently reduced to a misdemeanor or summary offense, which doesn’t accurately reflect the severity of the crime.  Pennsylvania House Bill 1581 aims t...

The month of October is a special one for me and my family. Its not my birthday or a special family holiday. Its not an anniversary or anything like that.... October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Domestic violence is so common.... SO COMMON in fact that one in four women will experience it at some point in their lives. One in four- 25%!! That's outrageous!! And that doesnt include men. (In 2005 there were 78,180 reported cases of men who were abused by their partners- heterosexual and homosexual) The reason why this month is so important to my family is because my mother (That beautiful woman you see above) lost her life to domestic violence. I'm not going to put every detail here, that would take forever. But its extremely important for me to point out a few things here. At the risk of sounding preachy, I strongly urge you to read and take something from this. That's all I ask.... I never saw my mom get hit. Most people associate domestic violen...

Today, the The News Item published an article about Richard Curran seeking custody of his children.  In 2005, Curran murdered his ex-wife, also the mother of their children.  He was sentenced in 2008 to serve a life sentence and is currently incarcerated in SCI-Albion, Erie County.  He filed a petition asking for periods of partial physical custody of their two daughters, ages 16 and 12, which would include visits at the correctional institution where he is housed. This may seem surprising, but Pennsylvania's laws allow for any person to file for almost anything through the court system and then at a hearing must assert their legal basis for filing that paperwork. Currently, Pennsylvania's custody law states the following about parents convicted of murder in the first degree, as Richard Curran was.   § 5303. Award of custody, partial custody or visitation. (b.2) Parent convicted of murder. --No court shall award custody, partial custody or visitatio...

    How does domestic violence impact our communities?   Often people put a financial meaning behind this such as: court costs, housing inmates, taxes and property destruction. I’ve been a paid and volunteer Emergency Medical Technician for 12 years.   I will tell you how domestic violence impacted me as a pre-hospital care provider in the community.   This is a true story that took place in Pennsylvania. About 10 years ago, I was dispatched to assist the state police at a crime scene. The company I worked for at the time also did coroner transports.   We were given no additional information except for the name of the road.   I knew the exact road due to living by the southern piece of the county; and I knew very well that there were no homes located on it.   I assumed it was a car accident.     Arriving at the scene there were numerous state police cars and vans. I got out of the ambulance and walked towards the...