Kansas Needs Stronger Domestic Violence LawsOn July 3, 2008, we received news that is every parent’s worst nightmare. Our 25-year old daughter Jana Mackey, a KU law student, had been killed by her ex-boyfriend in Lawrence. What we have learned since that time is that our tragedy is not that uncommon. In the United States, domestic violence is one of the leading causes of injury to women. Data from the U.S. Department of Justice says that on the average, three women are killed every day as a result of domestic violence. In a recent report by the Docking Institute of Public Affairs at Fort Hays State University, over 100,000 Kansas women become victims of domestic violence each year. On average, 20 Kansas women are killed by their current or former partners each year. In 2009 however, 34 adults and 14 children died in Kansas as a direct result of domestic violence. Currently the Kansas Legislature is discussing new measures that will ensure safety and justice for victims of domestic violence. If adopted, this new law (Substitute for House Bill 2517) would ensure that the criminal justice system document crimes associated with domestic violence and track repeat offenders. Originally recommended by the Governor’s Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board, and reviewed by the Judicial Council, this bill is one of the most comprehensive pieces of domestic violence legislation ever proposed in Kansas. We applaud these efforts and ask our legislators to use this momentum to encourage even further actions on this serious issue. As called for in a December 2009 editorial in the Garden City Telegram, communities should demand top-to-bottom reviews of how the criminal justice system addresses domestic violence cases from the time they are reported until sentences are rendered. Until this troubling trend of domestic violence is reversed, policymakers cannot be satisfied. Twenty years ago, Kansas and many other states were determined to reduce drunk driving injuries and fatalities. They passed multiple laws that made our streets safer. We believe it is time for the same kind of effort in developing new public policy that reduces domestic violence and makes our Kansas homes safer.
Curt and Christie Brungardt |
