Tagged: domestic violence

A Vermont judge refused to arraign a domestic violence suspect until he changed his shirt, which had the words: "I bust mine to kick yours."

A group of concerned citizens is organizing an event this week to address the subject of reducing violent crime in Berkshire County.

The group called Berkshire Citizens for Peace and Justice this week is organizing a meeting involving area residents, professionals, and public safety officials to discuss a wide variety of topics related to school and community violence.

The National Center For Victims of Crime has named January 2013 as National Stalking Awareness Month.

Stalking is a crime in New York, and both sexes are victims. “Know it. Name it. Stop it” is the theme for January's Stalking Awareness Month.

Barbara Palmateer is Program Director of Family, Community and Victim Services for Community Action Agency of Greene County’s Columbia-Greene Domestic Violence Program. She notes that victims suffer anxiety, social dysfunction, and severe depression at much higher rates than the general population, and many lose time from work or have to move as a result of their victimization.

New York State will have some new laws that take effect January first. One is a multi-layered legislative package that provides new protections for domestic violence victims. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the bill package October 25th.  One piece of the legislation increases the penalty for repeat offenders to a felony by creating a Class E felony, Aggravated Family Offense. Manhattan District Attorney and President of the New York District Attorneys Association of the State of New York Cyrus Vance, Jr., said this addresses an underlying issue: the ability of offenders to abuse their victims again and again without serious consequences.