Crisis Line
1-800-270-1620 or 641-673-5499

	Empowering Our Community
Volume II, Issue 1		January 2002

[ Christmas in the Shelter | Batterer's Education Program | Dear Friends |
New Directions Provides New Hope | Love is Not Abuse - Just ask Liz |
Board Members Needed | Vintage Charity Ball Next Month ]

Christmas in the Shelter

The staff members of Crisis Intervention Services are very proud to be part of such a wonderful community. With your kind and generous donations, not only at Christmas time, but also throughout the year, it makes it possible for us to help the many people affected by domestic abuse and sexual assault. We cannot express enough how grateful the women and children were to have such a wonderful Christmas at the shelter. This year they wanted to celebrate the Christmas together as one big family. On Christmas Eve, cookies baked and decorated by the women, were left for Santa. On Christmas morning everyone gathered around the beautifully decorated Christmas tree in the living room to open the much anticipated gifts. With the many donations, the families in shelter were able to have a joyful Christmas. The Christmas dinner of donated turkey and all the traditional trimmings was enjoyed by all as everyone assembled around the dining room table to eat a delicious meal, prepared by the women together. The meal was topped off by homemade pumpkin pie made by one of the women. They told staff it was the best Christmas they had ever had. When asked what made it the best—they replied they were overwhelmed by the generosity of the community. One mother quietly added—this was the first Christmas they felt safe. It helped the mothers set aside some of their worries by watching their children have such a wonderful time. With the community’s help, we were also able to give gifts to many women and children who have been in shelter since we have opened, and we gave gifts to many women and children we have served that have not needed to stay in shelter. This would not have been possible without help and support from St. Mary’s Church, Clow Valve Company, Amateur Radio Club, Pella Corporation, Glenn DeKock’s With Love Toy Ministry, St. Paul’s Church, Jack and Jill Preschool, many private citizens in our community, and the list goes on. We cannot thank you all enough for your support of our agency throughout the year. All of us at Crisis Intervention Services wish all of you a happy and healthy New Year and God Bless!

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Batterers' Education Program
Julie Trinkle, Community Treatment Coordinator

The responsibility of the Batterers’ Education Program (BEP) was given to the Dept. of Correctional Services in 1991. The Eighth Judicial District of Correctional Services started out with one group in 1991 and today runs 25 groups on a continuous weekly basis, in an 18-county service area. The program entails a 4-6 hour orientation held monthly in five areas. After a completed orientation the groups begin and they last two hours each, for sixteen weeks. There is also a 24-week therapeutic group for repeat offenders. Male/female teams facilitate each group. Most offenders are court ordered; however we do accept volunteers.
When dealing with Batterers, we are dealing with people who are used to controlling things. They often times want to control our program, too, so our program follows strict group rules and participation requirements. If offenders are unable to pay for the program and can prove they are in need of doing community service in lieu of payment, community service is a possibility.
We believe battering is a learned behavior, therefore we believe it can be unlearned. The majority of the offenders target their intimate partners. They do not focus their abuse on others such as their bosses, friends, or neighbors. Approximately 75% of the offenders, in our area were using drugs or alcohol at the time of their offense. Although in other areas a common characteristic among batterers was unemployment and under education, in our area those two characteristics were not really common among our offenders. Lately, the numbers of unemployed has increased.
Unfortunately, the majority of offenders who come to our program truly believe their partner made them be abusive. They do not understand they control their own behavior; that battering is a choice. There are many common characteristics among batterers. One main characteristic is they often pull phone cords out of the wall when the victim tries to contact law enforcement. They also are sometimes honest about their substance abuse as they somehow think this excuses their behavior. Batterers use minimization, denial, and blame to justify their behavior.
They isolate their partners, as well as themselves. They come from all walks of life. Our program has had someone from almost every career and employment field. We give batterers tools so they will use non-violent alternatives. We know domestic abuse escalates and that some type of intervention is needed. BEP is one type of intervention. Batterers often wear people out in their lives. Perhaps they wore their teachers, parents, partners, or even the court systems out, but we are determined they will not wear us out.
Victim safety, batterer accountability, increased community awareness and changing behaviors are our main goals. BEP is an educational program and we do not guarantee changed behavior, but we do believe we help many offenders and therefore, victims. One year ago, we had a recidivism rate of less than 1%. I believe some of the reasons we have had success is because of our experienced and dedicated facilitators, our longer orientation that helps with group readiness, and our small group sizes.

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New Directions Provides New Hope

Crisis Intervention Services collaborates with other agencies in our community on a regular basis. It is an essential part of our advocacy on behalf of survivors of abuse and it prevents the duplication of services. We have collaborative agreements with almost twenty human service agencies in our area. We would like to welcome the newest to our community. New Directions is the new mental health service agency for Mahaska and Keokuk Counties and is located on the third floor of Mahaska Hospital. We have taken several early steps to build a strong collaborative relationship. In October, CIS and New Directions co-presented a feedback session to a local group strongly affected by a recent incident of sexual violence. Dr. Rich Martin, Executive Director of New Directions, has begun serving on the CIS Board of Directors. Crystal Sodak, Domestic Abuse Services/Shelter Coordinator, has begun serving on the New Directions Board of Directors. New Directions staff are committed to providing quality mental health services to our community. In particular, Dr. Martin has expressed a strong interest in increased services to children, families, geriatric populations, and to persons with substance abuse problems. Counseling and psychiatric services are now being offered by a growing staff that includes 3 social workers, 3 psychologists, 3 psychiatrists, and a full-time substance abuse counselor. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 672-3159.

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Love is Not Abuse - Just ask Liz

Liz Claiborne has had an interest in ending violence in intimate relationships for several years. Her company provides funding for quality research and prevention materials. This year, the focus is on teen dating violence. She has an exciting site designed for teens at www.loveisnot abuse.com. In addition to interactive materials such as a quiz and warning signs, there are also handbooks that can be downloaded for teens and for parents. The website reports that 40% of teenage girls between the ages of 14 and 17 report knowing someone their age who has been hit or beaten by a boyfriend. Nearly 80% of girls who have been physically abused in their relationships continue to date their abuser. Of the young women between the ages of 15 and 19 murdered each year, 30% are killed by their husband or boyfriend. Liz reports that 26% of teenagers said they are very concerned about dating violence and almost _ of the teens surveyed said they would like more information about abuse. Yet the majority of parents do not discuss abusive relationships with their children. If you would like copies of the handbooks, they are available at our office at no cost. Let’s talk with our teens!

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Dear Friends,

Last year, they made the promises. We had more than enough votes. The dating violence bill made it out of committee. But it was never brought to the floor of the Iowa House of Representatives to be voted on. Bogged down by politics and gender bias, unmarried women in Iowa have gone yet another year without the protections from partner violence given to married women. This year, state and federal government priorities have changed, moving farther away from the most important issues facing battered women and their children. Our priorities have not changed. We will bring the issue of dating violence to the Iowa legislature again. We will demand equal protection from all forms of partner abuse. And we will call on our allies to make their voices heard. For the first time, we are asking our friends to assist us with their financial support. Our goal is to raise $15,000 to hire a lobbyist to focus the attention of the Iowa legislature on dating violence and the needs of battered women. We are asking you to do three things: 1) Call your legislators in January. Tell them how important it is to provide legal options for all victims of partner violence. 2) Make a financial gift to ICADV’s public policy efforts. Please mail non-tax deductible donations to: ICADV, 2603 Bell Avenue, Des Moines, 50321. 3) Pass this request on to friends and family who would be interested in supporting our work and who would be willing to add their voice to ours by contacting their legislators. Thank you. The Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence

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Board Members Needed

As a non-profit agency, CIS is governed by a Board of Directors. The current board is a diversified group of individuals — teacher, lawyer, professor, nurses, police officer, small business owner, abuse survivor, and concerned citizens with broad experiences and interest in the issues of domestic abuse and sexual assault. New members are needed and welcomed. Board members are responsible for fundraising, overseeing fiscal management, implementation of policies, and long-range planning in cooperation with the staff. Board members are asked to contribute one to one and a half hours per month for board meetings, to serve on a committee, and to participate in an annual retreat. Members serve three-year terms. Currently, the board meets the last Tuesday of each month. This year’s retreat was held in early January. A staff member from the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence served as the speaker and moderator. If you would like to know more about becoming a board member, please contact Darlene Shepherd, Board Chairperson, at 673-5793.

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Vintage Charity Ball Next Month

Submit your Reservation NOW!

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