Topeka, Kansas City Council Considers Decriminalizing Domestic Violence To Save Money

[Avatar4321]

You guys familiar with the criminal justice system at all?

Domestic violence cases are often a waste of time. Not because the crime isn't serious. But because we have:

1) A he said/she said incident with little other evidence
2) A "victim" who is often very likely to have started the incident and then calls the cop when the other "wins"
3) A victim who doesn't want to press charges and will never show up to court because they've gotten back together with the defendent or because he/she will be facing charges and arrest for something else when they show up in court.

I don't know about elsewhere, but most of the defendents I see end up doing Anger Management and pleading out a Disorderly conduct. The effort and cost for the State is just to prohibitive to take all these cases through the justice system unless there have been serious injuries. Most of these cases should be settled between the couple or through Civil court.

 

[JWBooth]

You guys familiar with the criminal justice system at all?

Domestic violence cases are often a waste of time. Not because the crime isn't serious. But because we have:

1) A he said/she said incident with little other evidence
2) A "victim" who is often very likely to have started the incident and then calls the cop when the other "wins"
3) A victim who doesn't want to press charges and will never show up to court because they've gotten back together with the defendent or because he/she will be facing charges and arrest for something else when they show up in court.

I don't know about elsewhere, but most of the defendents I see end up doing Anger Management and pleading out a Disorderly conduct. The effort and cost for the State is just to prohibitive to take all these cases through the justice system unless there have been serious injuries. Most of these cases should be settled between the couple or through Civil court.

About the same here. I love the victims that wait outside the jail the next morning with the bail bondsmen.

 

[High_Gravity]

Real talk though if we just ignore domestic abuse and don't do anything about it we are no different than those third world shit holes in the Middle East.

 

[Sallow]

would no longer be prosecuting misdemeanors,

My sheriff asked years ago, How much law enforcement can you afford. As he announced the county would not respond to car prowls, If you were broken into, file a report.

Here if the police are called for domestic violence someone goes to jail, even if no offense was committed. I wonder if this city operates under the same rules?

This is just going to lead to more dead women.

The Jail time offers a "cooling off period" where the woman can decide maybe it's time to leave, or the guy can decide maybe it's time to get help for a drinking problem.

I was busted for DWI once. One of the best things to ever happen to me.

What about when jail and the courts put an extra burden on the relationship, perhaps than maybe leading to worse things?

Personally I think the majority of the time..it's preventing something truly awful from happening.

 

[Rocko]

This is just going to lead to more dead women.

The Jail time offers a "cooling off period" where the woman can decide maybe it's time to leave, or the guy can decide maybe it's time to get help for a drinking problem.

I was busted for DWI once. One of the best things to ever happen to me.

What about when jail and the courts put an extra burden on the relationship, perhaps than maybe leading to worse things?

Personally I think the majority of the time..it's preventing something truly awful from happening.

I appreciate your opinion, and I hope you understand that both of us don't want more women hurt or killed, but IMO people that kill their wives, do so because they are bad or sick people that can't handel the stress of a relationship, and IMO harsh domestic violence laws don't prevent that from happening.

 

[High_Gravity]

What about when jail and the courts put an extra burden on the relationship, perhaps than maybe leading to worse things?

Personally I think the majority of the time..it's preventing something truly awful from happening.

I appreciate your opinion, and I hope you understand that both of us don't want more women hurt or killed, but IMO people that kill their wives, do so because they are bad or sick people that can't handel the stress of a relationship, and IMO harsh domestic violence laws don't prevent that from happening.

They don't but no laws or lenient domestic violence laws makes it even easier for these assholes to beat the snot out of their wives, they only get slaps on the wrists as it is.

 

[2twsted4colorTV]

This is truly unbelievable. 1 in 4 women are the victims of Domestic Violence and yet the City Council of Topeka is going to stop prosecuting domestic violence in order to cut the budget? Reprehensible.

All across the country, cities are not turning on street lights, not paving roads, firing entire police forces, laying off teachers and firemen and this is okay with people? This is preferable to raising taxes? WTF?!?

would you be happy if all of us paid 95% of our income to the government? Then if they STILL couldn't manage, then what? Grow a money tree? The taxes we DO pay are be squandered on Lord knows what, then they don't have the money to pay for what needs to be paid for. If you blow your whole paycheck in the casino and can't pay your electric bill, then what? That's what the government is doing. It's blowing all of OUR money on Lord knows what, and now it can't meet the real obligations so it wants MORE of our money. When it is going to end? any money the government uses to pay people with it's little "job creation" bit comes from US the taxpayers. We are taxed for breathing practically, until it's nuts.

 

[2twsted4colorTV]

Personally I think the majority of the time..it's preventing something truly awful from happening.

I appreciate your opinion, and I hope you understand that both of us don't want more women hurt or killed, but IMO people that kill their wives, do so because they are bad or sick people that can't handel the stress of a relationship, and IMO harsh domestic violence laws don't prevent that from happening.

They don't but no laws or lenient domestic violence laws makes it even easier for these assholes to beat the snot out of their wives, they only get slaps on the wrists as it is.

Yep, but watch what happens when she's had enough and shoots the sonofabitch. She's locked up and the key thrown away. Unless by some miracle she can prove it was self-defense.

 

[High_Gravity]

I appreciate your opinion, and I hope you understand that both of us don't want more women hurt or killed, but IMO people that kill their wives, do so because they are bad or sick people that can't handel the stress of a relationship, and IMO harsh domestic violence laws don't prevent that from happening.

They don't but no laws or lenient domestic violence laws makes it even easier for these assholes to beat the snot out of their wives, they only get slaps on the wrists as it is.

Yep, but watch what happens when she's had enough and shoots the sonofabitch. She's locked up and the key thrown away. Unless by some miracle she can prove it was self-defense.

Yup thats pretty much the way it works, unfortunately these women don't really have any protection from their abusers from the system.

 

[MiddleClass]

Republicans want a Religious Fundamental State where Women are subservient to Men, and can be tortured in the town square for looking at another man.

 

[The Rabbi]

Republicans want a Religious Fundamental State where Women are subservient to Men, and can be tortured in the town square for looking at another man.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrnJB_FaDek]Alan Grayson 'Taliban Dan' Ad - YouTube[/ame]

 

[JWBooth]

and this has exactly what to do with the city of Topeka?

 

[MiddleClass]

This is truly unbelievable.

would you be happy if all of us paid 95% of our income to the government? Then if they STILL couldn't manage, then what? Grow a money tree? The taxes we DO pay are be squandered on Lord knows what, then they don't have the money to pay for what needs to be paid for.

I call B.S.

 

[jillian]

Third world here we come

that's what happens when you try to starve government until you can drown it in a bathtub.



maybe they should consider not enforcing marijuana laws to save money.

 

[JWBooth]

Third world here we come

that's what happens when you try to starve government until you can drown it in a bathtub.



maybe they should consider not enforcing marijuana laws to save money.

In all likelihood they have more mj cases in jail than spousal abusers. The mj cases really shouldn't be there to begin with.
Did you read the article in the op? The district attorney punted Domestic Violence cases down to city court because they took up too much time and money. The city, which did not have original jurisdiction, is having to foot the bill.

 

[High_Gravity]

Third world here we come

that's what happens when you try to starve government until you can drown it in a bathtub.



maybe they should consider not enforcing marijuana laws to save money.

Those small town hicks will never allow that, weed is bad but beating your wife is ok in small places like that.

 

[Sallow]

Third world here we come

that's what happens when you try to starve government until you can drown it in a bathtub.



maybe they should consider not enforcing marijuana laws to save money.

Which would probably lead to less domestic violence.

 

[Vel]

This is truly unbelievable. 1 in 4 women are the victims of Domestic Violence and yet the City Council of Topeka is going to stop prosecuting domestic violence in order to cut the budget? Reprehensible.

All across the country, cities are not turning on street lights, not paving roads, firing entire police forces, laying off teachers and firemen and this is okay with people? This is preferable to raising taxes? WTF?!?

And why is it that you think we should raise federal taxes for services that should be provided by state taxes? Those states and municipalities that feel they need more money to provide basic services should raise their local taxes. It's not the federal governments job to provide street lights and such.

 

[Avatar4321]

Real talk though if we just ignore domestic abuse and don't do anything about it we are no different than those third world shit holes in the Middle East.

I think there are ways of dealing with it outside the criminal justice system.

 

[Avatar4321]

Republicans want a Religious Fundamental State where Women are subservient to Men, and can be tortured in the town square for looking at another man.

You know, if you ever want people to start taking you seriously, you need to stop lying so blatantly.