(Editor’s note: As people all across the U.S. stand up for victims of domestic violence during National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, Leader Publications takes a closer look at the problem of domestic violence in southwest Michigan. So far, the series has explored the life of a victim and the different aspects of victim advocacy. Now, the series will take a deeper dive into how domestic violence affects Cass and Berrien Counties and how far the problem spreads.

SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN — On Aug. 13, 2017, 55-year-old Carla Jean Lewis, of Niles Township, was found dead in her home. Now, her husband is awaiting trial for her murder, accused of a deadly case of domestic violence.

While Lewis’ death shocked the community, her case is far from unique. Nationwide, more than 55 percent of homicides are committed by an intimate partner, the majority of which are carried out by a male partner, according to a report released by the Center for Disease Control in July 2017.

Less fatally, nearly one in three women and one in four men have reported experiencing some form of domestic violence in their lifetime, according to a 2010 CDC report.

Berrien and Cass County officials said their domestic violence numbers are in line with national statistics and that domestic violence remains a huge problem in southwest Michigan. In 2017 alone, Berrien County courts saw 831 domestic violence cases, and Cass County performed 231 domestic violence arrests.

“[Domestic violence] is a major portion of our stats,” said Cass County Sheriff Richard Behnke. “Domestic violence is comparable to drunk driving in terms of arrests. It’s a myriad of situations that lead to and are classified as domestic violence.”

Despite these high numbers, area officials said they take the problem of domestic violence seriously and are always looking for better ways to curb the issue and help victims.

A domestic violence offender is defined as an individual that assaults or batters their spouse, former spouse, a resident or former resident of their home, or someone with which they have a child in common, according to Michigan state law.

The easiest way to categorize domestic violence is to think of it as violence that occurs between people who have a relationship together, Behnke said. That relationship can be that of family, roommates or romantic relationships. The relational aspect of domestic violence can make domestic violence cases difficult and challenging to investigate and prosecute, Behnke said.

“Things get complicated when you have so many ties. When you have a bar fight, you have people who don’t know each other,” he said. “But with these ties, there is a lot of emotion. It can be challenging to get things right.”

A tightrope of emotions

Despite the challenges of domestic violence cases, the only real difference between domestic violence and other assault cases is how officers work with the victims, Behnke said.

For example, due to the emotionally-charged situations that often accompany domestic violence, responding police officers can act as witnesses to domestic assaults in order to secure an immediate arrest. This can lead to domestic violence charges, even if the victim is unwilling to testify or press charges.

“It takes the victim out of the decision making,” Behnke said. “These can be emotional situations, so it’s important for the officer to understand that and take over.”

Behnke also said officers receive special training to work with victims of domestic violence. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office also works closely with Domestic Assault and Sexual Abuse Services in order to work with victims to help them get out of domestic violence situations.

“We don’t want victims to get left behind. A lot of times [an abusive partner] is the victim’s only source of income and that is gone. Or there is a lot of stress and emotion,” Behnke said. “We want to offer them support, which is why we work with DASAS. We want to give them the best chance of success.”

Prosecuting violence

That support carries over into the courtroom, according to Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz. The courts also work with DASAS closely, in addition to employing Victim Rights Coordinators who often work with domestic violence victims. 

“We do everything we can to support the victims in our county,” Fitz said.

The courts also work a lot with helping victims file personal protection orders, which can serve as a tool of protection for victims, Fitz said. The courts have clerks to help people fill out the paperwork for a PPO.

A PPO is a court order to stop threats or violence and limit contact between a victim and a perpetrator. Violation of a PPO can result in a contempt of court charge.

“[PPOs] can stop domestic violence before it becomes criminal,” Fitz said. “This used to not be available to many citizens due to cost; you used to have to go to a private attorney to get a personal protection order, and it was an expensive process. Now that is a much more streamlined process.”

In addition to working with victims of domestic violence, the courts also work with perpetrators of domestic violence to stop the cycle of abuse at its source, Fitz said. First-time offenders with a reasonable hope of reconciliation with a victim can be subjected to a probation period that can include counselling and anger management classes. 

“[Anger management] has been shown to be effective,” Fitz said. “We, as a society, understand that there are situations that can be worked out if the right things happen. … It’s not always about seeking a conviction, part of it is seeing what we can do to help both parties.”

Addressing the issue

Though Fitz said domestic violence remains a serious issue in the state of Michigan, domestic violence rates have gone down since the 1990s. He credits this down turn to legislative actions, including making repeat domestic violence offenses a felony, adding a stalking statute and giving the police the right to act as a witness in domestic violence cases.

“A lot of credit goes to our legislators to protecting victims,” Fitz said. “They have given us some important arrows to put in our quiver to address the issue [of domestic violence].”

Though both Fitz and Behnke said that there are more protections in place for victims of domestic violence than there were when they started their careers more than 30 years ago, they believe there is always more that can be done to help the women and men of southwest Michigan.

“We will always continue with our efforts to better serve our community, and it is well worth the effort,” Fitz said. “The attention placed on [domestic violence] may seem unimportant to some, but to us and to the victims, it is very real and very important.”