Jefferson County's 'dirty little secret'

Lost in the noise of last week's election was a release from the office of U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer that called for stiffer penalties for domestic abuse, and more money to support programs that fight those crimes.

In his release, he noted that Jefferson County had the third highest rate of domestic violence reports of counties outside of New York City, at just a little over 14 incidents per thousand people. At that rate, almost 1,700 cases of domestic violence are reported to police each year. And this is the number of cases that are reported – it's difficult to estimate how many remain untold. Estimates of unreported domestic violence range from 50 percent to as high as 90 percent, when emotional abuse is factored in. But at a rate of 50 percent reported cases, that means there could be almost 3,500 incidents of serious domestic violence in Jefferson County each year.

Today, as you read this, a man is in the Metro Jefferson Public Safety Building, awaiting further action on a murder charge stemming from the death of his former girlfriend, Annette Vazquez. Ramon Robles-Ruiz is charged with strangling her and dumping her body beside a remote road in Theresa. And this is just the most visible incidence of domestic abuse; not a day goes by, it seems, without some arrest on a domestic incident reported in this paper.

The problem appears most acute in Jefferson County. In St. Lawrence County, the rate, at 5.58 cases per thousand, is 60 percent lower, and Lewis County's rate is only 6.42 incidents per thousand, more than 50 percent less. That raises one question: why is Jefferson County so violent?

It would be extremely easy to attribute it all to Fort Drum; blame it on the soldiers. That, however, is a straw man argument. It allows local officials to sweep the whole issue under the rug, lay the blame at the Army's door and move on. That is a huge mistake.

Mental health experts generally agree, based on all the data that has been presented, that one in three women worldwide will suffer violence at the hands of an intimate partner in her lifetime. When you see one region where the numbers bulge outside of the curve, like Jefferson County, you have to start wondering why.

While Fort Drum presents unique challenges – soldiers returning from long wartime deployments frequently find coming home difficult in more ways than one – it is only a part of the overarching problem. You can't avoid wondering if the problem in Jefferson County is somehow made worse by public policy – or a lack thereof. Is the district attorney's office diligently prosecuting these cases? If so, are local judges consistently meting out punishment? And are police adequately answering these calls, which is to say, are they following the law and making required arrests?

Of those three, it's most likely that the police are, in fact, doing their job. If they weren't, it's unlikely the Jefferson County numbers would be so high. The DA and the courts, however, are a lot harder to judge.

One of the problems with the fragmented court system in this state – scores of local courts with dozens of local justices, meting out justice with widely varied backgrounds and prejudices and less than comprehensive legal training, in some cases – is that there are many, many serious misdemeanors, including many domestic violence cases, which are prosecuted in local court. Hence, justice and punishment can be all over the lot. A judge in, say, Adams, might treat domestic violence cases completely differently than a judge in Alexandria. In fact, two judges in the same town might have different views of domestic violence.

If you think I'm making this up, consider how long it was considered something less than a crime if a man had to, from time to time, give his wife an "attitude adjustment." As barbaric as the concept is, many misogynists out there still advocate that "right."

And this issue can't be addressed unless the district attorney's office is called into question. Cindy Intschert has not gained a reputation as a particularly aggressive prosecutor. It appears, based on anecdotal evidence, this district attorney's office is often ready to wheel and deal with defendants, which might be OK on a case by case basis but probably shouldn't be the rule with the truly dangerous misdemeanors, such as domestic violence and driving while intoxicated.

Family Counseling Service of Northern New York and the Victims Assistance Center of Jefferson County see the effects of domestic violence every day. For Family Counseling, it revolves around trying to end domestic violence by changing patterns of behavior. For the Victims Assistance Center, it’s a matter of immediately removing victims from harm's way. There has to be an in-between here, a consistent platform between rescue and reform. That has to be the courts.

As long as the fractured court system of this state remains as it is, local judges need to get on the same page when it comes to meting out justice in domestic violence cases. No one should be in danger from family members in their home, and judges need to do whatever within the law it takes to end that danger – whether it's mandatory counseling, or a combination of counseling and jail. And the district attorney's office has to shepherd these cases through the court system with vigorous prosecutions, to insure the law is complied with and justice is served.

Domestic violence should not continue as our dirty little secret. We should all be demanding action that will reduce its prevalence – and thus keep families safe within their homes.