Date: August 15, 2002
Contact: Renee Hoffman
Phone: (919) 733-5027
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For Release: Immediate
Date: August 15, 2002 |
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Contact: Renee Hoffman
Phone: (919) 733-5027
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NORTH CAROLINA WORKING TO PREVENT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE DEATHS |
RALEIGH - A team of professionals who regularly deal with domestic violence issues in North Carolina will travel to a conference in Arizona next week in hopes of preventing future domestic violence homicides.
Over the past couple of months, 18 people have died in domestic violence related incidents in North Carolina. This is an alarmingly high number of deaths directly related to domestic violence for that time period. While it is unclear how many of these deaths were preventable, North Carolina is determined to improve its response to victims of domestic violence.
The Governor's Crime Commission, which is a division of the Department of Crime Control & Public Safety, has assembled a team of military officials, criminal justice system professionals, and victim service agency advocates to address ways to improve our state's response to domestic violence.
Research indicates that with every domestic violence incident, there are a number of risk factors that can be measured to determine the likelihood of serious injury or death. This team will travel to Phoenix, Arizona to attend a National Conference on Domestic Violence Fatality Review on August 19-20. The cost of the trip is paid with a federal Violence Against Women Act grant meant for administrative and training purposes.
At the conference, the team will explore the benefits of multi-agency efforts to protect those most at risk of domestic homicide. The team will examine:
The team is comprised of the following members: John Aldridge, N.C. Attorney General's Office; Leslie Starsoneck, N.C. Council for Women/Domestic Violence Commission; Jim Pendergraph, Mecklenburg County Sheriff; Ken Honeycutt, District Attorney, 20th District; Marie French, N.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence; Barry Bryant, Lead Victims Services Planner, Governor's Crime Commission; Susan Osborne, Alamance County Department of Social Services; Cherry Thompson, Family Advocacy Program, 18th Airborne Corps, Ft. Bragg; Valerie McNeill, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, 18th Airborne Corps, Ft. Bragg; and Dr. Deborah Radisch, N.C. Medical Examiners Office.
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