Public service officials from the University of Tennessee are hosting a domestic violence class at the Family Justice Center next week to give local advocates the tools they need to help put an end to the epidemic.
In 2017, Tennessee saw 77,846 domestic violence offenses reported statewide, according to a report released by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation this summer. Though the number indicates an almost 2 percent decrease in incidents from the previous year, the Volunteer State still has a long way to go, says Chris Jones, training specialist at UT’s Law Enforcement Innovation Center.
Domestic violence, he explained, is a “precursor to other violent crime.” He alluded to statistics from the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, which reports that 72 percent of murder-suicides were committed by an intimate partner.
“We’ve already proven that we can’t arrest our way out of domestic violence,” said Jones, who will oversee the class. “So if we can interrupt one generation of violence by providing adequate resources for victims – and even the offenders, getting them the help they need – then we can substantially make an impact in this state when it comes to reducing the numbers for domestic violence.”
Funded by the Tennessee Office of Criminal Justice Programs, the class welcomes community members who would like to learn more about domestic violence or who have a family member subjected to domestic abuse, but priority will be given to related professionals, as space is limited.
The purpose of the class is to bridge the gap between responding entities – victim advocates, social workers, prosecutors, judges, medical professionals and law enforcement officials – resulting in more consistent prosecution, said Jones.
“Often, domestic violence is seen at different stages by different people,” he explained. “Advocates get everything post-arrest, so a lot of the law enforcement don’t understand what advocates have to go through from that arrest to their court date, and advocates don’t typically get to see what law enforcement experience on the scene and why they do the things they do.”
The four-day class, being held Aug 7-10, will cover a large variety of topics ranging from documenting sexual assault to testifying in court, both of which even victim advocates need to be accustomed to doing, Jones noted. Attendees will also learn about stalking, an offense Jones says rarely results in police charges; how elder and animal abuse link to domestic violence; and how to establish a coordinated community response to get residents on board to help combat the epidemic.
Each class will begin at 9 a.m. and end around 5 p.m.
To register, visit leic.tennessee.edu. The Family Justice Center is at 5705 Uptain Road, near Eastgate Town Center.
Email Myron Madden at mmadden@timesfreepress.com.