2023-01-05

Randall County adding extra court, specifically for domestic violence cases

Excerpt

Now that we are out of the pandemic, there are more charges and trials coming forward, as court rooms are open to hear cases.

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - Now that we are out of the pandemic, there are more charges and trials coming forward, as court rooms are open to hear cases.

Since the pandemic, Amarillo has seen an increasing number of domestic violence related felonies.

“We absolutely are seeing a lot of strangulation, a lot more crimes with guns or with knives and weapons, I think strangulation may have always been there, but we’re learning more about the danger of it even days and weeks later and that it’s connected to lethality and homicide,” said Michelle Shields, director of advocacy, Family Support Services.

They said they are figuring out why the cases are rising.

“You have to occlude either the breathing or the circulation, in the commission of that crime, but sometimes it’s difficult to prove that, so as we’ve gotten better at understanding what we need to do, I think the number of cases have gone up because we understand it better,” said Robert Love, Randall County District Attorney.

Family Support Services is also working to educate survivors on the dangers of it.

“The first time they’re strangled often people don’t consider it strangulation, they would think about being choked and that it’s not as dangerous. Even just having a knee on their chest, losing their breath for a few moments, but we know that there can be internal damage that can cause death, so we’re educating that about that we’re also being very aggressive with convictions and trying to create safety for the survivors,” said Shields.

Domestic violence numbers are beginning to even out, however court rooms are experiencing another problem, a large backlog.

“We’re seeing a lot of the sentencing and the trials in the last year because we were able to get back in the courtroom and go forward,” said Love.

Starting next month, Randall County will have an extra court specifically for its domestic violence cases to help lower its docket numbers and respond quicker to cases.

There is also more cases as survivors are also starting to speak up, creating a need for this extra court.

“I think some of our numbers are growing because more people are aware, more people will now report things that may not in the past have been reported largely through the efforts of law enforcement or our community partners and getting the education out there,” said Jason Herring, first assistant district attorney, 47th District Attorney’s Office.

Family Support Services has helped with this education.

“They on scene are doing a screen to assess for danger and lethality and they’re educating them at that time about how dangerous the situation is and directly linking them to us,” said Shields.

Shields also says domestic violence is a community problem.

“Often it’s been on the backs of survivors to create change in safety, but it impacts others. We have deaths in the state of Texas that are not just survivors, they’re law enforcement, bystanders or family members, it affects our community in a huge way, children go to school having witnessed violence,” Shields said.

Shields believes as a community Amarillo needs to support survivors, to help, click here.

For anyone affected by domestic violence, you can reach a 24-hour hotline at (806) 374-5433.