Black and Hispanic women make up about 25% of the state\u2019s female population but represent about 53% of domestic violence arrest cases for adult females in 2020, Judicial Branch data show.<\/p>\n\n\n
It\u2019s a disparity that is playing out in courtrooms across the state, according to public defenders who contend that Black and brown women often face harsher penalties and longer court proceedings to gain a favorable outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n
\u201cThis is real, it is very real,\u201d said Jassette Henry, a senior assistant public defender in New Britain and a tri-chair of the Racial Justice and Cultural Competency Committee within the state\u2019s Division of Public Defender Services<\/a>. \u201cThe question is, what are we going to do about it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n \u201cBlack people are overrepresented in arrests,\u201d Henry said. \u201cIt\u2019s not surprising that Black women are getting arrested in a domestic violence incident at a higher rate. They call police and wind up arrested. It\u2019s also about how they are treated in the system and what kind of hoops they have to go through to get a favorable disposition. It\u2019s very disturbing. This is a real issue.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n According to Judicial Branch figures analyzed by C-HIT, in 2020, Black women were charged in 2,118 domestic violence cases, and Hispanic women were charged in 1,525 cases compared with white women, who were charged in 2,963 domestic violence cases during the same period. The cases include females 18 years and older.<\/p>\n\n\n The inequality is not new, the data show. Black and Hispanic women made up an average of 49% of the domestic violence cases filed against adult women from 2016 to 2019, even as overall domestic violence cases involving females dropped from 8,160 to 6,772.<\/p>\n\n\n The demographic data was compiled from police arrest reports, Judicial Branch officials said. The cases range from disorderly conduct to murder, officials said.<\/p>\n\n\n Adult white women make up about 75% of the state\u2019s female population, according to estimates provided by the U.S. Census American Community Survey. Adult Black women make up 10.8%, and adult Hispanic women make up about 14.4% of the population.<\/p>\n\n\n \u201cThe domestic violence arrests are a microcosm of what you\u2019re seeing in the wider system,\u201d said Christine Rapillo, the state\u2019s chief public defender who runs the Division of Public Defender Services.<\/a> \u201cPoverty drives a lot of this. We see higher rates of arrest in poorer communities, which tend to be communities of color.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n Lack Of Diversity In Criminal Justice, Understanding The Culture<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n One problem is that there isn\u2019t much employee diversity in the state\u2019s criminal justice system positions that deal with defendants of color, Henry said.<\/p>\n\n\n \u201cThere are offices in the division that have no Black or Hispanic public defenders,\u201d Henry said. \u201cIf attorneys don\u2019t understand our culture, how can they advocate for their clients? How do we deal with this inside the courtroom when we are in front of a white judge or a white prosecutor? And how do we educate our public defenders who are not people of color to understand our culture?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n The key is hiring a more diverse workforce and educating law enforcement and court staff, including judges, in cultural competency, Rapillo said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf you have never stood in the shoes of a Black woman, you aren\u2019t going to know what cultural factors are driving the situation. We need a more diverse workforce, and we can educate people to be more aware. Diversity brings different perspectives to the work.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>Christine Rapillo<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n The Division of Criminal Justice<\/a>, which encompasses the state\u2019s prosecutors, is committed to hiring people of diverse backgrounds, thoughts and experiences, according to a statement issued by the agency. \u201cThe Division is continually working to assemble a staff that reflects the communities we serve because we believe diversity strengthens the Division and bolsters trust in the criminal justice system,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n The agency said decisions about whether to pursue criminal cases are based on the facts of the case, the evidence and the law. \u201cProsecutors in Connecticut strive every day to achieve justice for all parties involved in a case, making sure to consider the needs of the victims and the safety of society,\u201d the agency said.<\/p>\n\n\n New Approaches: Connecting Women To Services<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n Service providers contend that they serve victims of domestic violence in a culturally competent way. But many acknowledged that the coronavirus pandemic highlighted inequities in the system and forced providers to seek ways to engage more women of color to seek services.<\/p>\n\n\n Black women may be more hesitant to call police or seek services because the arrest of a partner could mean a loss of income, or a protective order could bar a partner from contact, which could lead to childcare issues for the victim, some providers said.<\/p>\n\n\n \u201cOverall, our services are pretty evenly split among demographic groups,\u201d said Maria Guzman, director of\u00a0Safe Connect,<\/a>\u00a0a program offered by the\u00a0Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence<\/a>\u00a0(CCADV). But disparities in the way cases are handled can still exist \u201cin ways we don\u2019t recognize,\u201d Guzman said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n CCADV is the umbrella organization for the state\u2019s 18 providers that offer shelter and counseling to victims of domestic violence. Statewide, about 60% of clients are white, 30% are Hispanic and 20% are Black, according to Tanya Johnson, CCADV\u2019s vice president of operations.<\/p>\n\n\n \u201cWe recognize that there are many people who will not come through traditional brick-and-mortar service providers,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cThey go to faith-based and smaller providers. It\u2019s very formidable for people to seek help when English isn\u2019t their first language or if they are experiencing extreme poverty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n Women of color are perceived as strong and able to take care of themselves and their families, Guzman said. \u201cThat can lead to some hard decisions,\u201d she said. \u201cDo I ask law enforcement to intervene when communities of color are being incarcerated at higher rates? Communities of color are much more conscious of police brutality. Law enforcement may not always be the best option. We have to offer options that are relevant for them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n CCADV started a program last year to provide training in English and Spanish to faith-based communities so the organizations can recognize domestic violence and connect victims with resources since many women of color will not turn to regular channels for help.<\/p>\n\n\n \u201cWe train faith-based leaders in how to have the difficult conversation about domestic violence and how to do outreach to break the silence of domestic violence,\u201d said Wanda Gaines, director of diversity and accessibility for CCADV, who conducts the training in Spanish. \u201cWe know that different cultures don\u2019t want to talk about domestic violence. We are teaching leaders what domestic violence is and how to bring this into their conversations with people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n The Center for Family Justice<\/a>, which provides shelter and domestic violence services in Bridgeport and surrounding towns, also offers outreach through a Latinx team that goes to churches and into the community.<\/p>\n\n\n \u201cWhen we think about who we trust, women of color are not going to be walking into the police department to seek help,\u201d said center CEO and President Debra Greenwood. \u201cYou have to ask women of color, what are your experiences? Some have sons, and they say I\u2019m afraid they can\u2019t be out on the street. When you are afraid, you have a mindset that immediately puts a wall up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n The pandemic and the social justice issues that came to the forefront in 2020 highlighted areas where domestic violence service providers needed to do better, said Barbara Damon, executive director of the Prudence Crandall Center<\/a> in New Britain.<\/p>\n\n\n Sometimes it means crafting a safety plan that doesn\u2019t include police, she said. \u201cIt\u2019s easy for us to think we know what the best thing is in any situation,\u201d Damon said. \u201cBut that\u2019s not always true. Now we\u2019re talking about how you can be as safe as possible. The key for us is not to give in to stereotypes and meeting people where they are and taking the time to understand white privilege and the built-in racism in our society. We can\u2019t do this work without that understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n Cover Photo: Christine Rapillo (right), Chief Public Defender for the state Division of Public Defender Services, and Jassette Henry (left), a senior assistant public defender in New Britain and a tri-chair of the Racial Justice and Cultural Competency Committee, say that they see higher rates of domestic violence arrests in communities of color.<\/p>\n\n\n Photo by Cloe Poisson<\/p>\n\n\n Publisher\u2019s Note:<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0CTLN<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0c-hit.org<\/a>\u00a0collaborate to best serve the Connecticut Hispanic, Latino community.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Black and Hispanic women make up about 25% of the state\u2019s female population but represent about 53% of domestic violence […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","ghostkit_customizer_options":"","ghostkit_custom_css":"","ghostkit_custom_js_head":"","ghostkit_custom_js_foot":"","ghostkit_typography":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[571,121],"tags":[716],"ppma_author":[715],"class_list":["post-5083995","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-c-hit","category-health","tag-domestic-violence"],"acf":[],"mb":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"LNN","author_link":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/ctln\/author\/jermainesmith\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Black and Hispanic women make up about 25% of the state\u2019s female population but represent about 53% of domestic violence […]","authors":[{"term_id":715,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"lisa-backus","display_name":"Lisa Backus","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""}],"mfb_rest_fields":["title","uagb_featured_image_src","uagb_author_info","uagb_comment_info","uagb_excerpt","authors"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/ctln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5083995","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/ctln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/ctln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/ctln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/ctln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5083995"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/ctln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5083995\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/ctln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5083995"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/ctln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5083995"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/ctln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5083995"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/ctln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=5083995"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\n\n
\n\n\n