Latest news with #OhioDomesticViolenceNetwork
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Ohio's innovative approach to protecting domestic violence survivors
A domestic violence awareness ribbon. (Stock photo from Getty Images.) People who are convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic abuse or subject to a qualifying protective order aren't allowed to have firearms according to federal law, but actually separating them from their guns is another matter. Often, abusers can deny having or refuse to surrender their firearms, and in states that have not passed their own versions of the federal ban — which, among other limitations, does not itself mandate how or when subjects should relinquish guns they already have in their possession — the process can be even more precarious. Ohio is one of the states that hang in the balance. Judges in Ohio have the discretion to require the surrender of firearms because of a civil protection order — a temporary order to remove guns from a potentially dangerous person — but there is no legal statute requiring the relinquishment of firearms following an order. In Ohio, more than 188,000 people are victims of intimate partner violence annually, and the state loses $1.2 billion every year because of the pervasive violence, according to a 2025 report by the Ohio Domestic Violence Network. But Ohio is not unique; access to firearms is a key factor in the lethality of intimate partner violence. Research studies estimate that, in instances where a domestic abuser has access to a gun, a victim is five times more likely to die, and the rate of intimate partner firearm homicides in the United States is substantially higher than in other similar-income countries. The Advisory Committee on Domestic Violence through the Supreme Court of Ohio noticed that because of the disconnect in federal and state law, there was a gap in potential abusers surrendering their firearms. The committee came up with an unusual solution: paperwork. Members argued that the lack of legal follow-up after the issuance of protection orders could be remedied by the state's 10-F Form, implemented in 2021. When law enforcement goes to serve a protection order, they use the form to ask a subject if they have access to firearms, securing them if so, keeping them in storage, or noting whether they deny having access to weapons at all. Then the form gets placed in a court's docket, leaving a paper trail if there's a violation later. 'This really is a tool that can be used as a way to clarify, does someone have weapons, and if this person is lying, it could be the basis of another charge or a violation of that protection order,' said Alexandria Ruden, a member of the advisory committee and a supervising attorney with Legal Aid Society of Cleveland. Ruden, who has worked in domestic violence law for four decades, emphasized that shootings are among the most common ways victims are killed. She and her colleagues have participated in training sessions on the 10-F Form across Ohio. But she explained that there are roadblocks to successful implementation, like having a place to store weapons after they have been seized. Though Ruden emphasized the practicality of the form, she said the need for a state statute is crucial to truly protect victims. 'If we were able to codify federal law regarding qualifying protection orders, and the qualifying misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence, then the implementation of this form would be much easier to work with,' Ruden said. The difference in state approaches can have significant consequences for victims. 'The place you live, not only the state but the county that you live in, can dictate what protections under the law that you have, and how safe you will be,' said Dr. April Zeoli, a professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health who has researched the relationship between firearm access and intimate partner violence. 'We see these differences when it comes to domestic violence protection order firearm restrictions,' Zeoli told me. 'States that have these restrictions see decreases in domestic violence partner homicide compared to states that don't, and that is very frustrating.' Different states are implementing strategies to address intimate partner gun violence. In 2017, Washington became the first state to alert domestic violence survivors when an abuser tries to buy a gun. Other recent efforts have focused on securing financial support for those at risk, like Colorado's voter-approved gun tax to fund services for domestic violence victims. Earlier this year, Illinois passed a law clarifying the surrender process, requiring law enforcement to quickly seize firearms from people with protection orders against them. In Louisiana, even as federal laws have weakened, local leaders are still committed to keeping firearms out of the hands of abusers. Lafourche Parish Sheriff's Lieutenant Valerie Martinez-Jordan spearheaded an innovative firearm divestiture program that has since spread across the deep-red state. (Read my colleague Alma Beauvais's story for more.) These varied approaches are innovative, but as in Ohio, they are not being implemented without challenges. Some of the Trump administration's recent budget cuts have targeted domestic violence services. The actions on the federal level will have residual effects for organizations throughout the country. Still, the state actions show momentum for addressing the relationship between firearm violence and domestic violence. The 10-F form is just one example of recent efforts that are focused on less punitive approaches. Ruden, who has worked in intimate partner violence law since the Domestic Violence Act was enacted in 1979, told me that she looks forward to the day that she's 'out of a job,' but that there's a lot of work left to do. Often, she said, creating policies to counter intimate partner violence is a process that takes two steps back after taking a step forward. Still, these innovations represent hope. 'I am hopeful even now that what we are able to do with this particular piece is to focus on getting law enforcement to ask' about guns when a protection order is served, Ruden said. ''Do you have weapons?' or 'Let me take your weapons.'' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Yahoo
Ohio economy loses more than $1 billion each year due to domestic violence, per study
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — A new study estimates Ohio's economy loses more than $1 billion each year to costs associated with domestic violence, specifically intimate partner violence. Researchers say these costs impact all Ohioans. This study was commissioned by the Ohio Domestic Violence Network. The study said Franklin County is contributing the highest amount in the state toward that impact. Dr. Joseph Von Nessen, a research economist at the Darla Moore School of business at the University of South Carolina, said he finds all of these numbers to be shocking. 'It's a significant loss to the state,' Von Nessan said. Von Nessen is estimating the total cost to be around $1.2 billion. He called that number conservative. 'What we have to recognize is that these losses extend far beyond just the victims and their families,' Von Nessen said. Von Nessen said there are explicit costs like physical healthcare for victims which represents 22.9% of the cost each year and loss of life accounts for 20.8%. He said there are also hidden costs like the general well being of victims that arise from not being able to return to their regular lives. This includes loss of worker productivity which makes up around 19.7% of the total estimated cost. 'Workplace related losses are when people miss work and that generates a labor shortage for businesses and other organizations. And so that limits what they can do in terms of producing output. And that also generates losses that we refer to as multiplier effects,' Von Nessen said. How central Ohio schools are complying with state's 'bathroom bill' He said these costs ripple across the state. He said this includes increased costs for law enforcement, the judicial system, jail costs and the long term impact of children. The study said Franklin County loses almost $130 million annually to costs associated with domestic violence. In 2024, the Columbus Division of Police reported an increase in felony domestic violence cases for the second consecutive year. 'When you are struggling to meet that immediate need, so much of the other work that is really critical to getting people back on their feet and keeping families together gets missed,' said Lisa DeGeeter, the senior director for policy and prevention for Ohio Domestic Violence Network. The ODVN said their request for services is going up, but their federal funding dollars are going down. However, ODVN said they are thankful to the state for providing them with $10 million in funding each year for the next two years. 'Please take a minute to compare those numbers. We get $10 million a year to provide services for an issue that costs our state 1.2 billion,' said Mary O'dDoherty, executive director of the ODVN. The ODVN said in 2023, they served more than 127,000 survivors and sheltered more than 10,000. However, they say they did have to turn away more than 8,000 survivors for shelter due to lack of room or funding. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
