Print
E-Mail
tool name
closeDomestic violence arrests soar during 2009
Puyallup court dealt with more than 500 incidents last year, a 30 percent increase from 2008
Neil Pierson/of The Herald
It’s tough for Nancy Shattuck to pinpoint the reasons behind a recent spike in the number of domestic violence cases in Puyallup.
A domestic violence victims advocate for the cities of Puyallup and Sumner, Shattuck said last week there are a couple of assumptions for why domestic violence arrests in Puyallup increased from 375 in 2008 to 529 in 2009.
Thirty years after the state began prosecuting such cases, people are still coming to the realization that domestic violence is not a “private family issue,” Shattuck said.
As Puyallup’s population has grown over the past five years, so have the number of domestic assault, harassment and other domestic-related crimes handled by the Puyallup Municipal Court.
In 2004, the court handled 204 cases. That number jumped to 415 in 2005 but decreased to 292 over the next two years.
However, the sharp, prolonged downturn in the economy has coincided with another major increase in domestic crimes.
Shattuck said it’s safe to assume that “people don’t have as many resources to access” because of their finances, meaning they’re less likely to escape an abusive relationship by staying with friends, family or in a hotel.
As part of the city’s Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention month, Puyallup City Council members received statistics earlier this month showing wide-ranging demographics in domestic crimes.
Assault cases comprised nearly half of the 529 prosecutions last year, while no-contact order violations made up more than one-third of the cases. Another 98 cases dealt with malicious mischief or harassment incidents.
Shattuck credited “thoughtful policy making” and “support of local resources which benefit families” for keeping East Pierce County residents informed on domestic violence issues.
There are a number of local organizations who help victims. Good Samaritan Behavioral Health provides free counseling and support groups. Exodus Housing offers transitional housing and counseling. The Crystal Judson Family Justice offers legal advice and a 24-hour hotline at 253-798-4166.
Another resource is the Young Womens’ Christian Organization (YWCA) of Pierce County, which is planning to open an expanded shelter for battered women and children in Tacoma come August.
Miriam Barnett, the YWCA’s executive director, said the existing shelter is already the largest in the region with 50 beds.
The new shelter, however, will have 75 beds and abandon the typical 97-square-foot dormitories in favor of larger, more private apartments. The rooms at the new facility will range from 250 to 1,000 square feet, depending on the size of the family.
The Tacoma YWCA branch sees a steady stream of clients from Puyallup and Sumner, Barnett said, though most of them come to access the organization’s legal services.
The YWCA retains its own attorney to deal with protection orders and providing representation for victims who need to go to court.
“We represent any women in the area for free,” Barnett said.
While the group helped more than 160 clients from Puyallup alone last year, Barnett said the need is often overwhelming for YWCA officials.
“We have an average of 200 turnaways in our shelter every month,” Barnett said. “In our legal program, we’re pretty maxed. We can’t stand turning people away. We do have funding requests out so that we can add another attorney.”
The organization is looking to expand its legal program into Puyallup and Sumner so that victims don’t have to travel to Tacoma to receive help.
“One of the issues with domestic violence can often be isolation,” Barnett said. “We’re trying to figure out how to make that happen sooner rather than later.”
Shattuck said prevention is the key to reducing abuse because “domestic violence really is a learned behavior and can be unlearned.”
She thinks the campaign against domestic violence is similar to those discouraging tobacco use and drunk driving or encouraging safety belt use.
“Other public health campaigns have reduced (the) incidence of problem behaviors,” she said.