'Behind Closed Doors' opens discussion on domestic violence

EASTON, Pa. — Folks had a chance Tuesday night to meet with local officials and learn about their roles in addressing domestic violence.

The Victim Services Unit of the Northampton County District Attorney’s Office's hosted “Behind Closed Doors: Opening Conversations That Matter. ” It brought together a panel of experts to highlight how to recognize domestic violence, obtain legal justice, and ensure continued protection of the victims.

Assistant District Attorney Catherine Kollet led the discussion, with guests including Ellen Kingsley, attorney and head of the domestic violence unit for the county; Northampton County Detective Dean Wilson; Marlena Flora, legal advocacy director of Turning Point of Lehigh Valley; Terry Glass, founder of Rianna’s Voice; and health professional Victoria Alercia.

In honor of October’s National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the panel was put together to both educate the public and solicit feedback from the community.

Recognition

Just recognizing the abuse in the first place is quite the task, as victims may not be aware that they being subjected to domestic violence – and it is not limited to a husband abusing a wife.

Victims can include spouses, significant others, children, and even adult parents, panelists said.

And those domestic abusers often rely on tried and true tactics to maintain control over their victim.

“I think some of the most common things that I've worked with is being exposed to manipulation and gaslighting. I often hear individuals saying that they feel crazy because their truth has become skewed by their abuser just constantly changing the storyline,” Alercia said.

Glass added teens may not see that a partner is abusive even if they show tendencies like constantly surveilling them, controlling their social life, and other such actions.

Alercia said such isolation and control of resources is common, and can include controlling their victim’s phone, limiting their interactions with others, or cutting off access to a vehicle or finances.

Flora said many victims are held back by a sense of grief, and not wanting to disturb their family or life.

“You know, there's this dream of as a family, and having your significant other attend preschool graduations, kindergarten graduations, high school graduation,” Flora said.

“So with leaving also you leave behind those dreams and those sort of things, not just for yourself, but for your family and your children as well.”

Breaking free of such situations requires assistance from law enforcement and the judicial system, but the victim often does have to make the first step.

Organizations like Turning Point of Lehigh Valley, Flora said, offer protection from abuse via safe houses, in addition to counseling services.

Seeking justice

The next step is yet another difficult trial: seeking prosecution.

Kingsley laid out how such cases progress, with the victim initially engaging in a primary hearing. It's there where Kingsley listens to the victim’s story, explains the court process and reinforces that they do not have to even acknowledge the abuser in court outside of identifying them.

Once the preliminary hearing concludes and if a charge is set, the case moves to the Court of Common Pleas, “and at that point we start talking about possible resolutions,” Kingsley said.

The question then becomes whether or not a trial would be the best path forward.

“We have to balance not only what the victim wants but also what is available in the system, and try to determine whether or not re-traumatizing the victim through a full court trial is the way to go, or whether perhaps we can promote some other disposition that would protect them and give them appropriate penalties for their abuser,” Kingsley said.

But even in these cases, some victims choose not to pursue justice (outside of those involving children, which the district attorney will pursue in just about every case). Speakers agreed that establishing trust and communication can help, but it is important not to force them into anything.

Wilson said that communication with victims during an investigation is key to a successful case; “Our first goal is to make sure that they’re safe, and the second thing is making sure that the abuser is held accountable,” he said.

With testimony and evidence, prosecutors may have a better chance to secure a charge.

But at that point, recounting the victim’s story may very likely make them relive their experience, re-traumatizing them. Unfortunately, it is a part of the process, Flora said, but “When there’s communication and collaboration and working together, we can do the best we can” to minimize that pain and trauma.

Even while a trial is ongoing, and even if the abuser is locked up, abuse can continue, several panelists detailed.

Several speakers advocated for victims pursuing a no-contact order as a condition for bail, but added that once that expires, it is absolutely integral to get a protection from abuse order, which can serve to penalize the abuser if they reengage with the victim.

Continued care for victims

But the work does not end there. Many victims continue to suffer from PTSD or other conditions stemming from their abuse, which can impact them and their loved ones as well, panelists said.

Alercia said this can involve therapy, surrounding oneself with emotionally supportive people, and more.

“There’s so much work with that, but also you deserve it,” Alercia said.

“We deserve to be a healthy individual in every aspect, in every way.”

Kingsley brought up a few pieces of legislation that would be beneficial to victims both during and after a trial.

“They will make sure that employers can’t fire victims when they come to court, when they have medical problems that they have to do. There’s one that will prevent landlords from evicting victims – they might not be on the lease, and their significant other has been removed, and they have nowhere to live,” Kingsley said, advising attendees to reach out to their representatives in support of those measures.

Panelists agreed that, at the heart of the matter, strong communication is the key element to addressing domestic violence and protecting, and hopefully helping, the victims.

“This doesn't need to be behind closed doors. This needs to be just like breast cancer awareness. It needs to be talked about like that,” Kollet said.

“Let's have a run for this. Let's talk about it, because then it opens up eyes, starts further conversations, changes legislature. Instead of saying this happens only in the home, we can affect the whole community by keeping open lines of communication and normalizing a conversation against domestic violence.”