Lincoln County domestic violence in numbers

Domestic violence in Lincoln County is talked about often, usually with the claim that it’s on the rise.

After Sheena Rose Devine was murdered by someone she was in a relationship with, the public was left shocked, but the homicide seemed to have reopened a conversation about domestic violence in Lincoln County.

The numbers are difficult to pull together to give an accurate assessment, and officials have conflicting perspectives on the issue.

According to the Montana Domestic Violence Fatality Review Commission, more than a third of the intimate partner homicides committed in Northwest Montana since 2000 occurred in Libby.

“There’s issues here in Lincoln County, serious issues that are different from anywhere I’ve ever been,” Lincoln County Victim/Witness Program Coordinator Lori Dinning said. “A change is needed, not only for the suspects but the victims and the general public. I can give you all the numbers all day long but they’re just numbers.”

However, Judge Jay Sheffield thinks Lincoln County isn’t unique when it comes to domestic violence.

“I don’t think we are particularly unique,” Sheffield said. “Domestic violence is not limited to any one ethnic group, geographic area or income level.”

Multiple agencies receive different data, such as the Lincoln County Crisis Center, the Lincoln County Sheriff Office, and the Lincoln County Victims Advocate — each taking different cases.

The Lincoln County Crisis Center’s number one goal is to get their clients to the safest place away from violence. The center keeps victims as long as they need to stay. Since they are a nonprofit, the center raises the money to put people on trains, planes or buses to send them to a family member or friend. The reason behind this, Crisis Solutions coordinator Barbara Guthneck said, is that staying with a someone in town only works for a little while, before the victim ends up going back.

“We have so many resources that help women survive and thrive,” Guthneck said.

Guthneck said she receives between 1,000 and 1,200 calls a year from victims, families and friends.

That averages to around three per day.

The center houses around 300 women and children and under 50 men throughout the year. Some of the people who come in are elderly with dependent adults, and women coming in with dependent parents.

Before, women had to go to Kalispell if they needed a place to stay. Guthneck said the year before the center opened, Kalispell only received three calls.

Guthneck has also noticed an alarming but not surprising trend in the center.

“Since we’ve been at this for 14 years, we have started getting kids who were in our shelter as children,” Guthneck said. “It’s certainly cyclical in the family and extended family.”

As someone heavily involved in the court process, Dinning can concur that there’s a cycle.

“The names (in court) are always the same, the faces are the same,” Dinning wrote in an email. “It’s a cycle, a continuous cycle that needs to change through counseling, training for new jobs, education in schools through local resources and a lifestyle change for most people. Is there a magic potion? I really wish there was. But I know we’re trying, we’re trying to make a difference and we’re trying to make a change in people’s lives. We have some great things coming up in the next year”

As someone who works with the individuals on a personal basis, Guthneck is able to see some of the trends.

During the 14 years it’s been open, the Crisis Center had increased in the number of clients it receives. After the first four years, Guthneck said they received many more calls and clients.

Guthneck believes that domestic violence in general hasn’t increased in the area, but rather people got to know the recourses better.

Guthneck said that most of the individuals are victims of partner assaults, with some being victims of family members.

“There’s more and more meth involved in the incident, whether it’s the perpetrator or the victim,” Guthneck said, noting there are also many cases involving alcohol. Her average clients range in age from 35 to 45. Nationwide, Guthneck said the average age is 30. They also see quite a few pregnant women; Guthneck said that they are very susceptible to attacks.

As many victims as the center receives, Guthneck said they don’t see every victim.

“We don’t get all of them, we only get the low-income, because people who have the recourses go to a hotel,” Guthneck said. “However, domestic violence knows no economic lines.”

Advocate Lori Dinning has an entirely different client load.

The advocate only receives people who are willing to testify against their perpetrator, and Guthneck said that most of the people who come to the center do not want to work with law enforcement.

On top of this, there are sheriff’s reports that neither the advocate or the center see.

While the amount of calls at the crisis center has increased, Judge Jay Sheffield, who’s monitored Lincoln County partner family member assaults for the last 10-12 years said that he’s seen a decrease in cases since 10 years ago.

“Happily, there appears to be about a 30 percent reduction in cases over the last four years compared to just 10 years ago,” Sheffield said in an email. “Justice Court is currently processing 38.5 cases per year on average as opposed to about 60 per year in the mid 2000s.”

Sheffield said that the victim’s safety is his number one priority. Starting at the defendant’s initial court appearance immediately after their arrest, Sheffield sets a bail amount appropriate for the level of alleged violence, he then imposes strict conditions that allow absolutely no contact with the victim or any witnesses, possession or consumption of alcohol as well as travel restrictions.

Those conditions remain in place for the duration of the proceedings. If the defendant is ultimately convicted then the court always imposes the requirement for 40 hours of domestic violence related counseling at the defendant’s expense in addition to any jail time or fines. The defendants compliance with the sentencing conditions is monitored by the court during their one year probationary period.

Sheffield said that the Montana PFMA statutes cast a very wide net and covers a broad range of familial and dating relationships.

“When people hear the words ‘domestic violence’ they immediately envision a case of a husband beating his wife when in reality we process a number of cases each year between adult siblings (both male and female) as well as assaults between parents and their adult step-children, many of whom have not lived together for years,” Sheffield said.

The statute, Sheffield said, also does not require any actual physical contact between the victim and the defendant for an assault to have been made.

“The dynamics of dealing with this wide variety of situations is a never ending challenge for everyone from law enforcement to the courts,” Sheffield said in an email.

IN THE WAKE of the domestic violence “crisis” as county officials have described it, many separate entities are coming together to help victims.

Lincoln County Crisis Solutions, Domestic Violence Program is bringing in speakers from Helena, Hamilton and Missoula in April to help community prevent more domestic violence homicides.

The center encourages law enforcement, judicial, county attorney’s office, mental health and substance abuse treatment, Office of Public Assistance, Community Action Program, Family Services, school and medical administrators and religious leaders to attend.

From this workshop, they will form a Coordinated Response Team to identify the most vulnerable victims and put a plan in place to provide the resources the victim needs to stay alive. Examples would be: more law enforcement patrols on a vulnerable victim’s house, religious leaders counseling victim to come into shelter or leave the area if it is believed they might end up dead otherwise.

Once we have a Coordinated Response Team plan in place, we will let the community know how they can refer someone they believe to be at extreme risk and how they can help. In the interim, people may call the crisis line 293-3223, 291-2715 or toll free 1-877-493-7139 any time day or night.

To be notified of the Coordinated Response Team in late February, call Barb Guthneck 291-0522 or Cookie Haidle 291-2715. They will be having follow up trainings throughout the county on domestic violence, stalking and rape. People are encouraged to call if their group would be willing to host a training.