ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, January 7, 1997 TAG: 9701070094
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: RICHMOND
SOURCE: Associated Press
ACTIVISTS SAY JUDGES must learn drinking doesn't cause battery, and that battery is a separate issue that needs to be addressed on its own. While alcoholism can aggravate the problem, they maintain, it shouldn't be considered its cause.
Alcohol abuse does not cause domestic violence, and the two problems should be treated separately, several speakers told a legislative commission Monday.
The Virginia Commission on Family Violence Prevention is considering establishing statewide standards for treatment of people who batter their spouses or other family members.
One proposal is to base the model on the Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program, which provides court-ordered education and treatment for drunken drivers. The commission voted to propose legislation to study the issue for a year before taking more definitive action in the 1998 legislative session.
``Most of us believe abuse is an issue of control,'' said Sheila Crossen-Powell, supervisor of a family violence prevention program in Richmond. ``They want power over another human being. It's a choice.''
She said it would be a mistake to link alcohol abuse and family violence treatment programs.
``Many batterers don't abuse any substance. They just choose to batter,'' she said.
Curt Fontaine of Fredericksburg agreed. He said he abused his wife during their eight-year marriage. The rage was worse when he was drinking, he said, but he also abused his wife when he was sober.
``When she got up the nerve to file charges, it was the best thing that ever happened to me as an individual,'' said Fontaine, who is now divorced and volunteers one night a week with the Rappahannock Council on Domestic Violence.
Fontaine said he received help for his alcohol problem before undergoing domestic violence counseling. He and others said that is the way it must be done because people who are abusing alcohol are not ready to take responsibility for their violent behavior.
``A lot of batterers use it as an excuse: `I didn't mean to do it. I was drunk,''' Crossen-Powell said.
Dr. Alice Twining, a psychotherapist who specializes in domestic violence, said national studies show that 40 percent to 60 percent of batterers also have substance abuse problems.
``But substance abuse doesn't cause battery. It's the belief that battery is OK,'' she said.
But Laurie Olan, director of a family violence prevention organization in Rockingham County, said the first question judges and magistrates often ask in domestic cases is whether drugs or alcohol was involved.
If the answer is yes, the judges often order alcohol or drug abuse counseling that never occurs, and nothing else is done to hold the perpetrator accountable, she said.
The commission also agreed to propose bills improving compensation for crime victims and to support legislation toughening the state's anti-stalking law.
One proposal would allow stalking victims who are injured to collect money under the state's Victim's Compensation Act. Another would transfer from the Virginia Supreme Court to the Department of Criminal Justice Services a fund that pays for collection of medical evidence in rape cases. Commission members said payments have been slow because of technical problems.
The commission also endorsed the City of Alexandria's proposal to create a new felony: stalking with a deadly weapon.
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