Family Violence

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- His is the story of a young life flooded by family tragedies and the fierce will to drive onward and upward on the basketball court.At age 21, Illinois guard Kevin Turner has dealt with more obstacles than most people can contemplate and become a full-fledged star.When his team takes on Maryland today in the West Regional at Arco Arena, the phlegmatic Turner again will be playing for his brother Kenneth, who was shot and killed in a gang cross-fire in Chicago while on his way to the store two years ago this week.

LAW ENFORCEMENT and social service agencies have become better attuned to the needs of domestic violence victims over the years. Police now take assaults in the home more seriously than a decade ago, and battered women have a wider variety of places to turn for help. But other steps can be taken. In Howard County, two separate efforts should bring victims added compassion while holding offenders more accountable.The state's attorney's office plans to begin a program in December to aid domestic violence victims.

A panel examining how cases of violence against women are handled in Howard County -- by police, courts, medical personnel, counselors and others involved in the process -- is seeking to coordinate efforts to make the process less traumatic for the victims.The Family & Sexual Violence Coordinating Council -- made up of Howard County judges, victim advocates, health professionals and law enforcement personnel -- has identified some areas it wants to target and problems it wants to resolve.

A traveling exhibit with 36 life-size figures representing women killed by domestic abuse in Maryland -- including one from Hampstead -- will arrive at Carroll Community College today after a weekend march in Washington with 1,500 other such figures from as many as 41 states.The "Silent Witnesses" exhibit has been duplicated in several states since a group of artists in Minnesota conceived it in 1990. It was the centerpiece of the March to End the Silence on Saturday.The figures range in size from 65 to 72 inches tall, are made of plywood or pressed board and carry a short narrative on a shield telling the victim's story.

A FEW MONTHS ago, I spent an instructive if depressing morning watching the prosecution of domestic violence cases in a local courtroom.I came away somewhat comforted by the fact that prosecutors and police seem to be taking these cases much more seriously than they did in the past.But the number and nature of these cases raise uncomfortable questions about society's tolerance for abusive responses to the stresses and strains of human relationships.From the barbed, verbal put-downs you can hear on almost any television sitcom and in many family conversations, to the free-floating anger that explodes in "road rage," it is obvious that stress is taking a heavy toll on plenty of relationships.

Family violence issues seen in welfare reformI agree with state Sen. Martin Madden that Marylanders should be proud to be among the 15 states to adopt the family violence option, which is part of the federal welfare reform bill.Shamefully, the success of welfare reform may be measured by the increased need for organizations such as the Domestic Violence Center, unless we have more domestic violence training programs under the Violence Against Women Act.This is not a new issue.Twenty years ago, a college conducted a study among African-American women working or seeking employment.

ClarificationBecause information was not available at the time, an article tTC in last Wednesday's Howard County edition of The Sun, about Howard County receiving a $3,688 grant from the state to fight domestic violence, did not say that the money fully funded the only such grant that the county had requested.Pub Date: 6/18/97When the state of Maryland handed out $1.2 million in grants from the federal Violence Against Women Act, Howard County nearly came up empty-handed.The grants were announced yesterday in Dundalk by Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend who was kicking off a one-day training seminar on sexual assault and domestic violence.

The brother of a Hampstead woman found strangled in her home last week after seeking court protection from her estranged husband urged more than 100 law enforcement agents and victims advocates from throughout Maryland yesterday to step up the fight against domestic violence.Kicking off a one-day training seminar on sexual assault and domestic violence, Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend asked for a silent tribute in memory of Patricia A. Titus before John Biglin told the gathering that his sister's death has led him to stand up for the rights of women.

When it comes to assisting victims of spousal abuse, Latisha "Tish" Mayne, the county's new case coordinator for family violence, has experience well beyond her 23 years.Mayne understands why battered women try to convince themselves that an abusive partner will change. She understands why a victim believes a spouse acts the way he does because of something she has said or done.Mayne has been there. She was 16 and pregnant when the first punch landed."To escape, you've got to call police and hold the abuser accountable," she said.

Maryland's domestic violence victims sometimes face a sluggish, fragmented response from police, courts and social service providers, according to a report being released Monday by the state Attorney General's and Lt. Governor's Family Violence Council.The 114-page study -- a year in the making -- urges law enforcement agencies to be more aggressive in prosecuting domestic abuse cases, and recommends a swifter and more active response to domestic violence victims from police and other officials.