Domestic Violence Emphasis

By Mel Anderson

The current felony trial team needs to be expanded

I was the first full-time felony attorney assigned to the Domestic Violence Unit of the DA’s Office.  In hundreds of cases over several years, I came to see domestic violence as betrayal of the worst kind.  It is a betrayal of  love and trust.

There is a quality of evil in crimes against partners and children that I rarely encounter in crimes motivated by  greed or personal gain.

Domestic violence crimes are unusually difficult to prosecute.  Battered partners are reluctant to testify against their batterer.  Many times I heard “I bruise very easily” or “I fell down the stairs.”  Too often the battered woman is locked in a cycle of violence she is too frightened to escape.

I am very worried about children caught in dysfunctional, violent families.  These children experience violence as a way of dealing with issues.  Violence experienced too often leads to violence expressed, and the cycle continues.

As your District Attorney, I will bring a new commitment to the prosecution of domestic batterers.

¨Cases of domestic violence must be taken seriously upon first appearance in the criminal justice system.  If they are not, violence grows and risks to life and limb increase.

¨Domestic violence is a specialty of the law.   I will introduce new policies requiring special training and resources within the Department.

¨We must find a way to help victims of domestic violence find safety from their batterers.  Prosecution is only part of the answer.  I will institute closer cooperation with government and community organizations committed to the support and safety of battered women.