Put focus on stopping violence

As she contemplated the two latest domestic-related homicides that dominated the news this week, my niece looked over the rim of her coffee cup one morning before school and asked me, “Really, what can you do about it? I mean, is there really any way to prevent it?”

At 16 she’s familiar with domestic violence, having witnessed her father shoot her mother to death when she was 11 years old.

I didn’t have a particularly good answer for her.

“I’m not exactly sure,” I said. “But a lot of people are trying.”

On average there are about 24 homicides a year in Maine, and about 12 of those are attributed to domestic violence. In the first 31/2 months of 2008, there have been 12 homicides, and of those 10 were related to domestic violence.

“There is no good news here,” Department of Public Safety spokesman Stephen McCausland said Friday. “It’s very, very frustrating.”

Should the current rate of homicides continue through the remainder of the year, the state could reach a record high of 48. So far, 2008 is the worst year ever for the number of homicides.

There are domestic violence commissions and panels. There are shelters and countless advocates. There are public service announcements and education programs for police officers and doctors and judges. Smart and resourceful people gather monthly to brainstorm and offer ideas to improve our state’s response to this pervasive problem.

But the statistics remain that you are much more likely to be harmed or killed by someone claiming to love you than you are by a stranger, a neighbor, a sexual predator or a friend.

“Despite the level of resources and the amount of great work being done in this state to address this issue, domestic violence continues to be the No. 1 cause of homicide here,” said McCausland.

So why is this year starting out so badly?

I asked Deputy Attorney General Bill Stokes, who has been prosecuting homicides for the attorney general’s office for 30 years.

“There’s really no good answer,” he said. “But one thing I can tell you unequivocally is that in the past four or five years there has been a significant increase in the number of our homicides that involve some level of mental illness.”

And sometimes the history of mental illness is not confined to the abuser. There are times when the victim is plagued with a mental illness. Often it is not only the abuser who has a substance abuse problem, but also the victim.

Mental illness, substance abuse and economic issues remain major obstacles for those caught in an abusive relationship to escape.

I did not have a good answer for my niece, who I’m sure goes to bed some nights wondering whether she or anyone else could have prevented the tragedy that unfolded in her front yard nearly six years ago.

I told her that while the tragedies make the headlines, all of the resources and all of the brainstorming that go on today help countless women escape abusive relationships every day.

We don’t hear about the women and children who find safety at domestic violence shelters across the state or about the police officers who are able to help them because they are better trained to recognize the signs of abuse when they respond to a call.

We don’t hear about the doctors who today question the bruises they see in a way they didn’t just 10 years ago.

There’s a lot we can do. There’s a lot that we’re doing. That shouldn’t be lost in the face of discouraging news.

Renee Ordway can be reached at reneeordway@gmail.com.