(C) Daily Montanan This story was originally published by Daily Montanan and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Montana domestic violence fatality report shows substances prevalent, motor vehicles as weapons – Daily Montanan [1] ['Keila Szpaller', 'More From Author', '- June'] Date: 2023-06-21 More Montana women murdered intimate partners this decade than in the previous one, and more perpetrators are using a car as a weapon. Those are a couple of the trends identified in the 2023 report on domestic violence fatalities from the Montana Department of Justice. In the 2019-2021 period, the report identified 30 violent interactions that resulted in 48 deaths. It said many victims have limited, if any, contact with the “system,” and many never sought shelter or support from law enforcement, family or victim advocates. “Many of these deaths are preceded by relative social isolation, which makes their occurrence all the more tragic,” the report said. A factor that isn’t new in the tragedies? Firearms are frequently involved. The report also said substance abuse was prevalent in all reviewed cases. “The goal is to prevent future deaths by identifying obstacles and trends and by making recommendations for improvements in policy and practices,” said the report. “Clearly, there is more work to do.” The statewide Domestic Violence Fatality Review Commission and Native American Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team investigated a set of intimate partner homicides for the report — six cases in all, four homicides and two homicide/suicides. The reviews included two female-perpetrated killings. All told, the report counted at least 248 deaths since the DOJ began tracking in 2000 through 2021. It said most victims die without having sought an order of protection, and most perpetrators don’t have extensive criminal histories or involvement with law enforcement. Nonetheless, domestic violence calls are common to at least some law enforcement officials. Just this past weekend, the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office received a variety of calls, including that a moose walked through a yard, a “gay flag” had been ripped off a pole, and a male and female were hitting and shoving each other. Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino said calls to domestic disputes are frequent, and the more people that descend on the valley, the more incidents, including calls about domestic violence. “Assault and domestic violence is a very common call for us to go on year-round,” Heino said. (Heino said law enforcement hadn’t received enough information to investigate the ripped flag. However, he also said the wind was gusting at 31 mph around the same time, the incident appeared to be isolated, and he could not verify it was a “hate crime,” as first reported.) For the domestic violence fatalities report, the teams reviewed incidents on remote reservations and in Montana’s largest cities. “Financial issues were prevalent in four of the cases,” the report said. “Alcohol and/or drug abuse were accelerants in all of the statewide cases and substance, physical abuse and historical trauma were evident in the Native American cases.” The domestic violence fatality review report starts with a letter introducing the work of the statewide commission and Native American team, along with data about the subject. It notes one in four women and one in nine men experience severe intimate partner physical violence, sexual violence or stalking with injury. The letter also notes the 2003 Montana Legislature authorized the commission, which it said has led the way nationally in fatality reviews. “As we approach our twenty-year mark, Montana can be proud that both our statewide and Native American teams are considered national models in the way we conduct domestic violence fatality review,” said the introductory letter from coordinator Joan Eliel, with the Department of Justice. Along with trends, the report also makes recommendations. For example, it said the $3,500 cap on homicide victim funeral expenses hadn’t been increased since 1995, it was the lowest in the nation, and it could be a burden on families. It recommended the legislature increase the limit to $10,000, and this year, House Bill 183 did so; it was sponsored by Rep. Nelly Nicol, R-Billings, passed with bipartisan and unanimous support, and signed by Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte. The report was released in March, in the midst of the 2023 Montana Legislature, and DOJ Press Secretary Emily Flower said she doesn’t believe other recommendations have been implemented just yet. Some also may be heavy, albeit critical, lifts, such as the top recommendation for “housing and employment stability.” It said “victims cannot leave dangerous situations without stable housing and work,” and it requested the governor’s housing task force, slated to sunset July 1, 2023, consider this demographic. It also recommended teaching basic life and money management to children in public, private and tribal schools; increased sentencing for strangulation; depression screenings; and making a second offense of PFMA, or partner family member assault, a felony. Additionally, it says “important intervention opportunities exist for medical providers and the faith community” to identify and intervene in violent relationships, and it noted risk assessment tools and training opportunities are available. Another recommendation said the public needs to be educated that there is no waiting period around reporting someone missing — “you can report a person missing immediately.” It encouraged the DOJ to issue a PSA about the issue. None of the recommendations address firearms. The report notes the team synthesizes recommendations into “action items” that are affordable and can be “promptly implemented.” The teams conducted six reviews, and they identified trends, including that female-perpetrated homicides increased since 2000. “From 2000-2010, there were 19 such deaths; from 2011-2021, there were 24. Seven female-perpetrated homicides occurred in this biennium,” the report said. It noted the use of motor vehicles as a weapon in intimate partner homicides has increased as well, with a total of eight since 2000, and four in 2021. Other trends include the following, the report said: “Cyberbullying from friends and family before and after the deaths occurred was prevalent in four of the intimate partner homicide cases reviewed.” “Mental health issues, particularly depression and suicide ideation, continue to be significant factors.” “Childhood trauma and generational abuse (both physical and sexual) continue to be significant factors of intimate partner violence as identified in previous reports.” The report counted 21 deaths in 2020, the second highest number in one year since 2000, the first year of data in the report. The high was in 2016, with 24 deaths, and the report noted 17 deaths in 2021. Firearms were used in 58% of the cases in Montana, and a knife was used 19% of the time, according to the report. However, the report notes in Native American partner homicides, a knife was used 38% of the time, a firearm used 21% of the time, and blunt force trauma was responsible in 25% of the cases. Although the subject of the report is grim, it also notes Montana’s teams have been a national model and, recently, leaders internationally as well. “We are currently working with Nebraska in their efforts to develop their state domestic violence fatality review team,” the report said. “Recently, a researcher from the Indigenous Law Centre at University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney, Australia, applied for a grant to fund travel to Montana to observe the Native American teams’ work with tribal communities, government representation and collaboration.” [END] --- [1] Url: https://dailymontanan.com/2023/06/21/montana-domestic-violence-fatality-report-shows-substances-prevalent-motor-vehicles-as-weapons/ Published and (C) by Daily Montanan Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/montanan/