In December, we were honored to host delegates from the Santo Domingo Office of the District Attorney. Our Dominican Republic guests also traveled to Washington, D.C., El Paso (TX), and Miami (FL). Their program objectives, as defined by the U.S. Department of State were:
· To examine the U.S. legal system and efforts to prevent domestic violence and protect and strengthen women and children’s rights;
· To address the issue of violence against women and children by discussing how to recognize and treat victims and encourage reporting of domestic abuse;
· To examine anti-trafficking legislation, victim services, protection systems, and public education and outreach; and
· To discuss the problem of trafficking in persons, particularly in the Dominican Republic and Caribbean, and to obtain solutions on how to prevent it, including enforcement and prosecution of traffickers.
Their first professional appointment in Pensacola was at Favor House of Northwest Florida, where Fred Sulzbach and Marsha Travis gave an overview of area domestic violence and talked about the programs offered by Favor House to help victims and to decrease the possibility of future occurrences. At one of their shelters, the group met Valerie Love who guided them through the facility where abused women and their families are temporarily housed.
At the Gulf Coast Kid’s House (GCKH), Debra Bond explained the process of facilitation of investigation, prosecution, and treatment of child abuse. The delegates watched a video about this organization which gives support to kids of zero to twelve years of age in a non-threatening environment. They also met Vickie Horton, the executive director of GCKH, and examined the facility, giving great attention to such key rooms as the video medical room and the interview room.
Later that day, the group met with Susan Faris and Shelly de La Concha at the Office of the State Attorney. Their tour of the courthouse included noting the separate entrances designated for different parties (jury, defendants). Ms. Faris then spoke about case processing, pre-trial intervention, interaction between jury and prosecutors, the role of the press, and the training of prosecutors. In a roundtable discussion, the group also shared their experience in the Dominican Republic and compared it to the U.S. system.
The next day started at the Pensacola Junior College Police Department. Chief Nancy Newland presented a summary of domestic violence in Pensacola and addressed how law enforcement officers view the issue. She also explained how domestic violence cases in Escambia County have gained the required attention under the administration of Sheriff David Morgan. The delegates learned about the interaction between law enforcement and prosecutors in the U.S. and explained to Chief Newland the differences between that interaction and the Dominican approach.
The meeting at the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office was an excellent opportunity for both the delegates and the employees who participated in the panel discussion. Sheriff David Morgan, Sena Maddison, David Craig, S. Cappas, Kathleen Augustus, and Robbie Leverett discussed every step of how a domestic abuse situation is handled. They explained the different stages in ending such a situation, starting with the officer called to the scene and continuing to the victims’ advocate in charge of reporting the incident and assisting the injured party. This was followed by a tour of the forensics laboratory where staff, including Solange Garcia-Alonso, showed the foreign visitors the different methods of fingerprinting and surveillance used by the county.
The last meeting was coordinated by the Department of Criminal and Legal Studies at the University of West Florida in the university’s brand new mock trial courtroom. Drs. Kimberly Tatum and Richard Hough spoke about their participation in the local domestic violence coalition, the role of the coalition, and fatality review procedures. The group also discussed the different methods used to spread public awareness and to gain local support for their work. Before departing the university, Drs. Tatum and Hough presented Certificates of Honorary Citizenship with the City of Pensacola which had been previously provided to them by Mayor Mike Wiggins.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to this visit, including Grace McCaffery who provided the delegation with a copy of a Spanish-language public service announcement on domestic violence and to WUWF, La Costa Latina, and Pensacola Latina for their interest in the group. Others helping in its coordination included Sue Hand of Favor House, Sgt Carol Turner of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Elaine Mager of the Mayor’s office, and Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council interns Bruno Barros and Karyn Trong who not only accompanied the group to their appointments but also summarized their visit in this write-up.
