Article by Barry Goldstein
The ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) research is a group of studies sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control that establish that children exposed to domestic violence, child abuse and other traumas will suffer more injuries and illnesses throughout their lives and have shorter life expectancies. This information is depressing because our failure to better protect children is creating catastrophic consequences, but it also provides an exciting opportunity.
If we can prevent domestic violence and child abuse, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, stroke, auto-immune diseases, mental illness, suicide, traffic accidents, substance abuse, crime and so many other illnesses and social problems could be dramatically reduced. Our children would reach their potential thus greatly improving the economy while health care costs would be reduced. This is completely realistic as we have long believed an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
We know how to dramatically reduce domestic violence (see the Quincy Solution) and this by itself will also reduce child abuse. We can reduce child abuse still further with other good practices. Most important is the need to reform the custody court system. Every year 58,000 children are sent for custody or unprotected visitation with dangerous abusers. The ACE research goes to the essence of the court standard of the best interests of children. This research ought to encourage the courts to make the health and safety of children the first priority and that would dramatically change the dangerous outcomes seen today.
The Saunders’ Study
The National Institute of Justice provided a grant to Dr. Daniel Saunders, Dr. Kathleen Faller, and Dr. Richard Tolman for a groundbreaking study about the qualifications of evaluators, judges and lawyers to respond to domestic violence custody cases. They study strongly supports concerns about the widespread failure of custody courts to protect battered mothers and their children.
Domestic Violence is a specialized area of knowledge and the training provided for a mental health or law degree does not provide the expertise needed to respond effectively to domestic violence cases. Dr. Saunders and his colleagues recommended evaluators and other professionals need specific knowledge about screening for domestic violence, risk assessment, post-separation violence and the impact of domestic violence on children.
Professionals without the needed understanding tend to focus on the myth that women frequently make false allegations, unscientific alienation theories and the wrong assumption that mothers trying to protect their children from dangerous abusers are actually harming the children. Unsurprisingly these mistaken assumptions lead to outcomes that harm children.
It is the focus on precisely these wrongheaded assumptions that lead to the frequent failure to protect children. The courts routinely disbelieve true allegations of abuse because professionals believe the myth and don’t know how to screen for domestic violence. Saunders found that the courts do not use supervised visitation as frequently as needed in the case of dangerous abusers.
The Quincy Solution
District Attorney Bill Delahunt noticed that virtually all the inmates at a nearby high security prison had a childhood history that included domestic violence and often sexual abuse. He believed if he could prevent domestic violence crimes it would reduce all crimes and this is exactly when he accomplished. A county that averaged 5 to 6 domestic violence homicides each year enjoyed several years with no murders. Other communities like Nashville and San Diego enjoyed dramatic reductions in domestic violence crimes and especially murders with similar good practices.
The successful practices included strict enforcement of criminal laws, protective orders, probation requirements, practices that made it easier for victims to leave and a coordinated community response. Barry Goldstein, in his book, The Quincy Solution: Stop Domestic Violence and Save $500 Billion, added the use of current scientific research, new technologies like GPS and inclusion of the custody courts. This is necessary because abusers have been able to undermine domestic violence laws by manipulating custody courts.
The United States spends $750 billion annually on health costs related to domestic violence and an addition $200 billion for domestic violence related crimes. Many children and battered women fail to reach their economic potential greatly weakening the economy. Even best practices won’t save the entire one trillion dollars wasted by our long tolerance of men’s abuse of women but we can quickly save $500 billion. This will be the incentive for policy makers to adopt the Quincy Solution, but only with the public’s knowledge and support.
Barry Goldstein is a nationally recognized domestic violence author, speaker and expert. Barry is the co-editor with Dr. Mo Therese Hannah of DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, ABUSE AND CHILD CUSTODY and co-author with Elizabeth Liu of REPRESENTING THE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SURVIVOR. He is currently working on a book for the general public that is likely to change how society responds to domestic violence. NOT A PRIVATE MATTER: ENDING THE $500 BILLION ABUSER SUBSIDY provides a realistic plan to drastically reduce domestic violence crimes and 500 billion reasons to do so. To learn more about Barry's work, check out the rest of his site here and www.Domesticviolenceabuseandchildcustody.com Barry can be reached at Contact Barry