tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171420941776673660.post6950624563134392510..comments2024-03-28T02:29:13.507-07:00Comments on Legal Ruralism: Domestic violence: Figure it out yourself?Lisa R. Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16469550950363542801noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171420941776673660.post-48888333962427231422011-11-16T12:07:14.474-08:002011-11-16T12:07:14.474-08:00Thanks for this well written post. I agree with Sc...Thanks for this well written post. I agree with Scarecrow's comment, a bad economy will only put fuel to this fire. Using these excuses of a bad economy help support the idea that women (and I acknowledge that men are also the victims of domestic violence (DV), however, overwhelming women are found to be victims in this society) are disposable and we will not care for the violence targeting them in their homes. The receding of the state in bad economic times is not a new phenomena. It happens a few years, (it happened in the 70s and 80s). More often than not, these cuts affect women, children, poor people and communities of color. There are have been successful stories of communities coming together to find an alternative way of addressing domestic violence that doesn't involve the police or the institutional justice system. Transformative justice and community accountability circles have changed the dynamics between the "victim" and "perpetrator". This however, is due to the fact that police intervention in DV often doesn't actually have a positive tranformative experience for the survivor. There is only so much the police can do (arrest perpetrator, hold them in jail, or incarcerate them) and this only feeds an vicious cycle of violence with in the community. Still, these "successful" stories/cases have taken place in predominantly urban areas. So the question still stands, do rural communities face a harder time dealing with DV cases because law enforcement is not present? Or are there real opportunities to create alternative ways of addressing violence in the community that doesn't produce more violence?oceguerahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09779330146502912142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171420941776673660.post-39200827737197585852011-11-16T11:46:35.183-08:002011-11-16T11:46:35.183-08:00This article made me think about the reading we ha...This article made me think about the reading we have done on spatial inequality and justice deserts. In addition to vigilante justice, informal order, and other factors that particularly affect the issue of domestic violence in rural communities, there is the huge lack of access to justice. For example, where and how to I get to somewhere to even get a restraining order if I live in Rhee's Appalachian area? Let alone how do I get it enforced if I don't get phone service?Namorahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09284136143926208851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171420941776673660.post-76664012957356407482011-11-10T15:12:30.035-08:002011-11-10T15:12:30.035-08:00What's sad is that the poor economy will likel...What's sad is that the poor economy will likely lead to higher rates of abuse as unemployed spouses relieve their frustration on their partners. The DA's announcement seems rather self-serving to me. Why let residents know their bad behavior won't be prosecuted, unless you hope to get more funding? While the target certainly seems to be the city of Topeka, the DA certainly doesn't seem to care that rural residents won't have any other options but the self-help ones suggested by Scott.Scarecrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02175915711253730674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171420941776673660.post-49162342830739920602011-11-02T12:44:42.508-07:002011-11-02T12:44:42.508-07:00These decisions by DAs Office's always seem mo...These decisions by DAs Office's always seem more as threats and a way of calling attention to the budget problems than actual concrete plans. In the end it seems to work though. Many cities end up finding a way to rebudget, obtain a grant, or simply "find" the money after citizens start to voice their concerns.<br /><br />But budgets' may be tight and the DA could be looking at cases that generally consume a lot of resources but accomplish little. The dynamic of a violent relationship is a confusing one. As a police officer and with my time spent working in the domestic violence unit at the Sacramento DAs office, I have encountered plenty of DV situations where both parties hate each other one day but go running back in love the next. Its possible the DA viewed the DV cases as a drain on the resources (more than other prosecutions) and decided to cut them from the list first.Jasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01504747620898238135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171420941776673660.post-11893655449443817772011-11-02T11:10:17.655-07:002011-11-02T11:10:17.655-07:00There is also the possibility of vigilante justice...There is also the possibility of vigilante justice. The show Family Guy crassly tried to touch on this, but it is an option that some rural people turn to.<br /><br />When I was young, I remember some adults talking about the whooping a man received from his father and brothers-in-law in retribution for hitting his wife (the other men's daughter and sister). A couple of cop friends have also talked about wife beaters that "fell down" a couple times when they went to a bar or some other gathering spot filled with people who were not keen on using women or children as punching bags.<br /><br />This may be a rural solution (urban too in many circumstances) when the law cannot intervene, but it is also a violent solution that often begets more violence.<br /><br />Hopefully the DA's comments in this news story is just some saber rattling to get more attention to budget problems.ScottA.https://www.blogger.com/profile/18192646741353414328noreply@blogger.com