Missoula County should strongly support this. I will be writing a letter of testimony to the senate judiciary committee as well. Here is a summary of my letter:
•The perpetration of strangulation is a common tactic of abusive partners to terrorize and control victims. The act of strangulation symbolizes an abuser’s power and control over the victim. (At the Missoula City-County Crime Victim Advocate Program, advocates help between 20 – 30 victims of reported strangulation each year.)
•It can foreshadow escalating violence within the already abusive relationship. Strangulation is typically one of the last abusive acts committed by a violent domestic violence partner before actual murder. (When strangulation occurs within the context of a domestic violence relationship, “the odds of becoming an attempted homicide increased by about seven-fold for women who had been strangled by their partner.)
•Holding offenders of strangulation in Montana has proven to be a challenge however. (A victim may minimize their experience, simply reporting that the abuser grabbed or squeezed their throat, or refer to the attack as being “choked”. Therefore, the case may not be properly investigated.)
•Even when a case is reported, and investigated, if a victim does not specifically say that they thought that they thought that they were going to die, a felony aggravated assault charge cannot be brought against the offender. If charged at all, these strangulation cases can only be charged as a misdemeanor because Montana lacks the prosecution tools to hold offenders accountable. •The enacting a bill to create a felony strangulation statute will go a long way in creating this positive change for victims of domestic violence and their children.
Missoula County supports SB 153 – Revise laws on strangulation of partner of family member, on the Senate floor this afternoon. The perpetration of strangulation is a common tactic of abusive partners to terrorize and control victims; symbolizing an abuser’s power and control over the victim. The Missoula City-County Crime Victim Advocate Program advocates help for between 20 and 30 strangulation victims each year. Holding offenders of strangulation accountable in Montana has proven to be a challenge however. Even when a case is reported and investigated if a victim does not specifically say they believe their life was threatened, a felony aggravated assault charge cannot be brought against the offender. If charged at all, these strangulation cases can only be charged as a misdemeanor because Montana lacks the prosecution tools to hold offenders accountable. Enacting a bill to create a felony strangulation statute will go a long way in creating this positive change for victims of domestic violence and their children.
Sending the following end of day Thursday: Representatives Hill-Smith, McConnell, and Morigeau, Missoula County supports SB 153 – Revise laws on strangulation of partner of family member, being heard in House Judiciary tomorrow morning. The perpetration of strangulation is a common tactic of abusive partners to terrorize and control victims; symbolizing an abuser’s power and control over the victim. The Missoula City-County Crime Victim Advocate Program advocates help for between 20 and 30 strangulation victims each year. Holding offenders of strangulation accountable in Montana has proven to be a challenge however. Even when a case is reported and investigated if a victim does not specifically say they believe their life was threatened, a felony aggravated assault charge cannot be brought against the offender. If charged at all, these strangulation cases can only be charged as a misdemeanor because Montana lacks the prosecution tools to hold offenders accountable. Enacting a bill to create a felony strangulation statute will go a long way in creating this positive change for victims of domestic violence and their children. Please support SB 153.
Missoula County supports SB 153 – Revise laws on strangulation of partner of family member, being heard on the House floor this morning. The perpetration of strangulation is a common tactic of abusive partners to terrorize and control victims; symbolizing an abuser’s power and control over the victim. The Missoula City-County Crime Victim Advocate Program advocates help for between 20 and 30 strangulation victims each year. Holding offenders of strangulation accountable in Montana has proven to be a challenge however. Even when a case is reported and investigated if a victim does not specifically say they believe their life was threatened, a felony aggravated assault charge cannot be brought against the offender. If charged at all, these strangulation cases can only be charged as a misdemeanor because Montana lacks the prosecution tools to hold offenders accountable. Enacting a bill to create a felony strangulation statute will go a long way in creating this positive change for victims of domestic violence and their children.
From Shantelle Gaynor:
ReplyDeleteMissoula County should strongly support this. I will be writing a letter of testimony to the senate judiciary committee as well. Here is a summary of my letter:
•The perpetration of strangulation is a common tactic of abusive partners to terrorize and control victims. The act of strangulation symbolizes an abuser’s power and control over the victim. (At the Missoula City-County Crime Victim Advocate Program, advocates help between 20 – 30 victims of reported strangulation each year.)
•It can foreshadow escalating violence within the already abusive relationship. Strangulation is typically one of the last abusive acts committed by a violent domestic violence partner before actual murder. (When strangulation occurs within the context of a domestic violence relationship, “the odds of becoming an attempted homicide increased by about seven-fold for women who had been strangled by their partner.)
•Holding offenders of strangulation in Montana has proven to be a challenge however. (A victim may minimize their experience, simply reporting that the abuser grabbed or squeezed their throat, or refer to the attack as being “choked”. Therefore, the case may not be properly investigated.)
•Even when a case is reported, and investigated, if a victim does not specifically say that they thought that they thought that they were going to die, a felony aggravated assault charge cannot be brought against the offender. If charged at all, these strangulation cases can only be charged as a misdemeanor because Montana lacks the prosecution tools to hold offenders accountable.
•The enacting a bill to create a felony strangulation statute will go a long way in creating this positive change for victims of domestic violence and their children.
Sent Monday 2/13 at noon:
ReplyDeleteSenators,
Missoula County supports SB 153 – Revise laws on strangulation of partner of family member, on the Senate floor this afternoon. The perpetration of strangulation is a common tactic of abusive partners to terrorize and control victims; symbolizing an abuser’s power and control over the victim. The Missoula City-County Crime Victim Advocate Program advocates help for between 20 and 30 strangulation victims each year. Holding offenders of strangulation accountable in Montana has proven to be a challenge however. Even when a case is reported and investigated if a victim does not specifically say they believe their life was threatened, a felony aggravated assault charge cannot be brought against the offender. If charged at all, these strangulation cases can only be charged as a misdemeanor because Montana lacks the prosecution tools to hold offenders accountable. Enacting a bill to create a felony strangulation statute will go a long way in creating this positive change for victims of domestic violence and their children.
Please support SB 153.
Sending the following end of day Thursday:
ReplyDeleteRepresentatives Hill-Smith, McConnell, and Morigeau,
Missoula County supports SB 153 – Revise laws on strangulation of partner of family member, being heard in House Judiciary tomorrow morning. The perpetration of strangulation is a common tactic of abusive partners to terrorize and control victims; symbolizing an abuser’s power and control over the victim. The Missoula City-County Crime Victim Advocate Program advocates help for between 20 and 30 strangulation victims each year. Holding offenders of strangulation accountable in Montana has proven to be a challenge however. Even when a case is reported and investigated if a victim does not specifically say they believe their life was threatened, a felony aggravated assault charge cannot be brought against the offender. If charged at all, these strangulation cases can only be charged as a misdemeanor because Montana lacks the prosecution tools to hold offenders accountable. Enacting a bill to create a felony strangulation statute will go a long way in creating this positive change for victims of domestic violence and their children.
Please support SB 153.
Sent this morning(4/21) at 9:00am:
ReplyDeleteRepresentatives,
Missoula County supports SB 153 – Revise laws on strangulation of partner of family member, being heard on the House floor this morning. The perpetration of strangulation is a common tactic of abusive partners to terrorize and control victims; symbolizing an abuser’s power and control over the victim. The Missoula City-County Crime Victim Advocate Program advocates help for between 20 and 30 strangulation victims each year. Holding offenders of strangulation accountable in Montana has proven to be a challenge however. Even when a case is reported and investigated if a victim does not specifically say they believe their life was threatened, a felony aggravated assault charge cannot be brought against the offender. If charged at all, these strangulation cases can only be charged as a misdemeanor because Montana lacks the prosecution tools to hold offenders accountable. Enacting a bill to create a felony strangulation statute will go a long way in creating this positive change for victims of domestic violence and their children.
Please support SB 153.