The closure of the Salvation Army's Catherine Booth Center in Greenville will have a "drastic" impact on services provided to domestic violence victims in Leflore County and the Delta, Sgt. Dennis Mitchell of the Greenwood Police Department says.
Mitchell, who serves as the department's domestic violence coordinator, said the Greenville center is the only organization that services an eight-county area that includes Leflore, Washington, Carroll, Bolivar, Holmes, Grenada, Sunflower and Humphreys.
The Salvation Army about a week ago announced that it would close the center on June 23 due to the loss of federal funding, combined with a reduced allocation from the United Way of Washington County. The center has been in operation about 14 years.
Domestic violence victims will have to drive as far as Vicksburg and Jackson to find a safe haven that provides free services after the center closes.
A year ago, the center's director, Cheryl Sias, spoke to the Greenwood Business & Professional Women's Club. During that meeting, she reported that the center helps a lot of women from the Leflore County area.
On Wednesday, Sias said she could not make comments at this time about the pending closure.
Greenwood BPW President Pat Verhage said she was surprised to hear about the closure of the shelter. The Greenwood club has supported the center with donations of needed items and money for a number of years.
"People just don't realize how bad domestic violence is," Verhage said.
"And BPW is about women helping women. That's our motto. We have supported the shelter because there is a great need there," she said.
Mitchell said he is hopeful the center will find another source of funding and not have to close, but it will continue to provide services for victims until that time.
The Greenwood Police Department refers one or two people to the center each week for different types of services - housing, counseling, transportation, etc.
But what Mitchell said he would love to see is a shelter in Greenwood.
Several groups are gathering information about domestic violence in Leflore County, he said, but he doesn't know of any definite plans to open a center.
"Every little town needs a shelter, not just to house battered women, but to give services, like GED (classes) or day care when people go to work," he said.
Domestic violence victims also need assistance with basic needs, such as clothing and food, Mitchell said.
Just because domestic violence happens, life goes on, Mitchell said. People still have to go to work and care for their families.
Many domestic violence victims won't report being assaulted because they think they have no place to go and no way to support themselves and their children, Mitchell said.
And the closure of the Catherine Booth Center may be further discouragement to women who may be thinking of leaving an abusive situation, he said.
It is hard enough for these women to drive the 50 miles to Greenville to get needed services, he said. Victims would have to travel more than 100 miles if the center closes.
"But Mrs. Sias is doing the best she can to keep the Catherine Booth Center open," Mitchell said.
On average, Greenwood has between 16 and 23 arrests each month for domestic violence, Mitchell said.
About three to five of those monthly arrests are women assaulting men. "But about 90 percent of the time, the victims will be women," he said.
Domestic violence also crosses all lines, including race, gender and socio-economic status, Mitchell said. Despite the stigma, he said, it is not a crime that just happens in black neighborhoods.
Most of the domestic violence calls reported to the Greenwood Police Department come from the victims themselves, Mitchell said. But some calls come from neighbors and relatives.
Law enforcement officers now are trained to make an arrest when they see evidence of assault, Mitchell said.
"If you've got evidence for probable cause, the law says you shall make an arrest," he said.
And when an arrest has been made, Mitchell said he always asks, "How many times has it happened previously?"
"Eighty five percent of the time, it won't be the first time. It's just the first time the police were called," he said.
What troubles Mitchell, however, is the number of domestic violence cases that are not reported.
Some people are ashamed to let someone know that this is happening in their home, he said.
When Mitchell finds out about a domestic violence victim who has not reported the incident to the police, he said he will approach them and let them know that there is help for them.
"I encourage people that they don't have to put up with this," Mitchell said.
Domestic abuse also leaves its scars on others, especially the children of victims and abusers, Mitchell said.
In most cases, there are least one or two children who need assistance to deal with what is happening in their homes, he said.
Domestic violence breeds domestic violence. Kids who come from homes where there is abuse tend to be abusers themselves, Mitchell said. "It is a repeated generational pattern. So if there is not as many in the next generation, we've done a good job."
"Domestic violence is not just a family matter, it is a crime," Mitchell said.
The Police Department is making sure people arrested for domestic violence are held accountable for their actions.
Domestic violence offenders are ordered into court-mandated programs to help them deal with their anger and other problems they might have, such as emotional problems or drug and alcohol abuse.
"We have 18 warrants for non-compliance of domestic violence," Mitchell said.
Violators could get up to 30 days in jail and still have to complete the court-mandated programs to the satisfaction of the judge, he said. They also face a $270 fine for contempt of court.
Mitchell said the programs and counseling services might not stop domestic violence, but they should slow it down.
"We're not going to wipe it out, but we can send a message that will make them think about it the next time," Mitchell said.
Counseling services for domestic violence offenders are offered through Our House Inc., which is court-mandated, and Men Against Spousal Harm (MASH), a program for batterers who are convicted of domestic violence.
Domestic violence victims also can receive counseling through Let Our Violence End (LOVE), Mitchell said.
Parkwood Behavioral Health System provides a court-mandated anger management program. And counseling services also are available through other sources such as ministerial court counselors, First Family Resource Center and the Responsible Fatherhood programs.
Domestic violence offenders often have other problems that contribute to the assault, Mitchell said.
He noted, however, that these problems didn't make them do it.
"There's no excuse for it, even if you have a drug problem or alcohol problem," he said.
"The judge tries to find out and address the problem" during the court process, Mitchell said.
The first issue is to deal with the anger management and the problem of being a batterer, he said.
Then, once the person is in the system, the court tries to deal with any other dependency or emotional problems the offenders might have, he said.
"We try to deal with both of them," Mitchell said.
