Domestic violence victims get free help

e-mail this story

Attorney General Henry McMaster announced the pro bono initiative Thursday morning in Columbia. It is an attempt to increase successful prosecutions of domestic violence cases before magistrates and municipal courts, where many cases are argued by police officers.

"It's clear to everyone that we have a tragic situation with domestic violence in South Carolina," McMaster said. "The question becomes what do we do that we're not already doing."

The new initiative will not impact Greenville or Pickens counties, where Solicitor Bob Ariail has already created a program to prosecute domestic violence cases before magistrates.

"Often a woman walks into the courtroom having been beaten badly and there's a judge with 500 cases he has to get through and her husband or boyfriend with F. Lee Bailey as his lawyer," McMaster said, referring to the high-profile celebrity defense attorney.

"It's not a good situation when these situations require a trained prosecutor. Instead, we have overburdened police officers."

McMaster told The Greenville News that more than 30 attorneys have already signed up for the program. Orangeburg and Kershaw counties will be the first to get the assistance. The next counties will be Cherokee and York, he said.

McMaster, a Republican, and his Democratic Party opponent, both campaigned last fall on a platform that included tougher domestic violence prosecutions.

South Carolina routinely ranks in the top 5 in the nation for number of women killed by domestic partners, even claiming the No. 1 spot in 1998. During 2000, the most recent year numbers are available, South Carolina ranked third.

There have been steps taken before. Former Gov. Jim Hodges appointed a domestic violence task force, but was criticized by many women's groups when he failed to implement many of the recommendations made by the panel.

McMaster's predecessor, Charlie Condon, ordered state prosecutors to stop dropping domestic violence cases in 2001. Before that, about half of all domestic violence cases were dropped because victims failed to testify.

Condon's office said before he left office that prosecutions rose by 50 percent.

McMaster said this program will be different. There are a number of programs and organizations in the state to assist victims of domestic violence, but McMaster hopes his office can become a state-wide coordinator.

Attorneys who sign up for the program will receive training from the Attorney General's Office.

State Supreme Court Chief Justice Jean Toal told The Associated Press that it is important to focus on preventing domestic violence and punishing offenders early.

"I've been hearing death penalty cases for 15 years now as a member of the Supreme Court and in all but two of them the defendants were much involved in domestic violence from the time they were children," she told the AP.

Jason Zacher can be reached at 298-4272.