South Carolina is
making progress in reducing domestic violence, but
more work is necessary if the state is to shed its
distinction as having one of the highest rates of
domestic violence in the nation. Thankfully, Gov.
Mark Sanford has endorsed a plan to fund
additional prosecutors and establish centralized
courts to handle domestic violence cases.
South Carolina ranks sixth in the nation, based
on population, in the number of women killed by
men. The good news is that just a few years ago,
South Carolina was first in the nation. The bad
news, of course, is that sixth is far too high.
Elected officials have not ignored what state
Attorney General Henry McMaster dubs "our state's
number one crime problem." In 2005, for example,
the General Assembly passed a tougher domestic
violence law, which went into effect Sunday. The
new law stiffened penalties and fines, and
requires judges to receive training on domestic
violence.
The law raises the minimum fine for a first
conviction to $1,000 from $500, or 30 days in
jail. But that can be suspended if the defendant
completes a counseling program. Penalties for
second convictions include mandatory jail time of
30 days to a year and up to $5,000 in fines.
Ironically, stiffer penalties in some cases
could create conditions in which fewer abusers end
up behind bars. With mandatory jail sentences for
second offenders, defendants may be more likely to
take their chances on a trial rather than settling
for a plea bargain. As a result, domestic violence
cases could take longer to reach a court and jury,
and defendants may be more likely to go free.
McMaster thinks one answer to that problem
would be to hire criminal domestic violence
prosecutors in each of the state's 46 counties and
set up courts to handle the extra cases. Last
week, the governor announced that his executive
budget for 2006 will include $2.2 million to fund
that program.
More prosecutors also could help increase
confidence in the justice system and encourage
more victims to step forward and testify against
their abusers. Many victims have been reluctant to
do so because they are uncertain that their cases
will get a fair hearing and that the courts will
be able to protect them from an abuser seeking
retribution.
The state took a necessary first step with
legislation to increase penalties for domestic
violence. We hope lawmakers will follow that up by
approving the plan to supply the necessary
manpower to ensure that abuse cases are handled
quickly and effectively.
| IN SUMMARY |
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Gov. Sanford has endorsed plan to fund
prosecutors for each county to handle domestic
violence cases.
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