The whole kerfuffle over footing the bill to carry out justice for battered family members started in September when Shawnee County District Attorney Chad Taylor announced that the county could no longer afford to pursue misdemeanor charges in Topeka, including domestic battery. This left the city to take on the cases, and with a tight budget and a city attorney's office that hasn't handled a domestic-violence case in more than a decade, it was ill-prepared to do so. In the first week after Taylor made his announcement, The Topeka Capital-Journal reported that 30 domestic-battery cases were rejected, and three suspects were released and presumably returned home because no charges were brought. Really. This happened in America.
Taylor told Topeka that his office would resume handling domestic-violence cases if the city gave his office $350,000. But he can't make that kind of arrangement without the Shawnee County Commission's approval. That's the entity that slashed Taylor's budget by 10 percent to set up this disaster. So, that has left the Topeka City Council to consider the work-around of decriminalizing domestic battery, leaving Taylor to take the cases without the budget to handle them. Mayor Bill Bunten told the council: "The question is who prosecutes them, the municipal court or the district court, and who pays for it, the city or the county or a combination?" Really, we're bickering over who pays to protect battered family members. In America.
Happy Domestic Violence Awareness Month, everybody.
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Yellow journalism people is what's happening here. Good for the city to toss it to the county because then the county will toss it to the state where this criminal charge should be. Carries more teeth.
lol, make money by legalizing weed. then youll have enough money to lock up real law breakers and violent offenders and lower taxes and support the war on terror and get a nice bonus and free state dinners and so on ...
The nerve of a lawmaker to even consider lightening the sentence of a violent crime without giving one iota of thought about decriminalizing posession of reefer is a criminal act if you ask me.
Just think what they'll do next. It won't be any flex with cannibus you can rest assured. A well to do, reliable, and deeply religious Sam Brownback won't ever let local society sink that low.
That is so sad, because 9 times out of 10 if you accuse your man of battery and he goes to jail and gets out, he's coming after you and then the city will have to deal with murder charges.... almost had it happen to me :( thank god i live in Johnson County KS
Domestic Violence (or any type of assault and battery) seems to be something that should be handled by a county prosecutor's office.
Municipal city prosecutors are there to enforce municipal code violations which are normally much more minor.
It seems like the county is at fault here. If I beat up my wife, it makes sense that the Jackson County Prosecutor would handle my case. Not the city prosecutor who deals with bitey dogs and people who refuse to mow their lawns.
Domestic violence is nothing to joke about, or anything that should be taken lightly. Why is it different than normal battery - because the abuser has easy access to the victim and is usually able to control the victim with treats of death - for the victim and their family. The abused will usually stay with the abuser out of fear for their family and friends. Yes, the abuser can be either male or female, and I have seen both. The biggest difference between the sexes is physical strength. Wanna tell me that its any different than child abuse, who has the power and strength? What, do you believe that a fussy baby deserved to be shaken and hit? Both sexes need protection from an abuser.
DV is 100% anti-man misandric bullshit at its finest. Most of the real abuse is done by WOMEN, get it right people.
Domestic violence is a bunch of crap. Battery is a crime, but so-called DV can be yelling at each other. Give me a break. This country has gone way to far to lock MEN up in jail.
In most cases it is the man commiting the crime. In a lot of cases the woman will hit the man, call the police and the man is arrested. Women do that to the good man. Woman know not to pull that phony act on a bad boy. I have been through it twice 30yrs ago. Woman throw things around the house and then call the police. I like that post a man made "Battery" should cover all
The very best way to combat this type of thing is to be a voice in legislation. As a survivor turned advocate/trainer, I know first hand what it is like to be abused by my husband (all the emotional turmoil that encompasses). The law is already abuser-friendly enough as it is. If we have voices, we need to use them to create positive change! DV kills 3 women every day...it has to stop!
maybe we need to revive vigalanti's back in the day 50s/60s i remember a case where this low life was beating his wife and kids and drunk all the time and it seems an unknown group of people gave him an atitude adjustment with a promise of worse if it happened again
What, couldn't they consider decriminalising marijuana instead of domestic battery? Let's put this into perspective people. Shouldn't they put it on a ballot and let the people vote on it? Who's making a sensible decision down there anyway? Oops, forgot, it's Topeka we're talking about.
Why do so many communities waste money duplicating services with city and county government. One countywide law enforcement agency would eliminate a lot of administrative costs and put more cops on the street.
It's still against the law for one person to hit another, right?
I once pooped in a laundry hamper and then ate a box of biscuits.
Domestic Violence laws are B.S. The crime of "Battery" more than covers spousal battery. D.V. laws are set up to give women way too much power. Mandatory Arrest of a D.V. suspect is also B.S., a police officer is not required to arrest a murder suspect (even with probable cause) if he feels its reasonable to wait to build a stronger case, he doesn't have that option if one spouse smacks the other spouse with an open hand. D.V. laws are just political correctness taken too far.
Let me guess that no one has considered decriminalizing smoking a joint in the privacy of your own home to save money
Shocking. Absolutely shocking. Domestic violence is epidemic. If Topeka does not prosecute those who beat their wives and children, the situation becomes a rampant epidemic. How many lives will be lost with this kind of short-sighted and - dare I say - ignorant and downright stupid action. Topeka, you should be ashamed let alone sanctioned.
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