Season 1 Episode 32: Domestic Violence Advocacy in a Time of Police Reform: An Interview with Leigh Goodmark and the Staff of a Survivor Agency
About This Episode
The last few decades have seen a dramatic rise of the criminalization of domestic violence perpetration across the globe. As a result, police have received a large share of domestic violence funding and partnerships between law enforcement and advocates have become the norm. But if only 20% of survivors feel safer after calling the police, then it is important to think critically about the relationship between survivors and their advocates and the criminal justice system.
In this episode, David and Ruth explore the relationship between advocates and law enforcement with author and law school professor Leigh Goodmark and a team from Embrace, an agency providing free and confidential supportive services and safe housing to survivors of gender-based violence rural Wisconsin. The Embrace team shares the story of how funding was clawed back by a sheriff and local government council who objected to their support for the Black Lives Matter movement, racial equity, and police reform. They discuss the realities of advocacy in the current atmosphere of calls for police reform and how law enforcement's response sometimes has a chilling effect on victims of violence seeking assistance. Leigh shares her insights into the history of advocacy within the context of the carceral system.
Additional Resources
Leigh Goodman’s New York Times Op-Ed: Stop Treating Domestic Violence Differently from Other Crimes
Leigh Goodman’s book Decriminalizing Domestic Violence
Safe & Together Institute’s domestic abuse–informed trainings
Safe & Together Institute’s upcoming events
David Mandel’s book Stop Blaming Mothers and Ignoring Fathers: How to Transform the Way We Keep Children Safe from Domestic Violence