Advocates urge legislation that stops criminalizing survivors of domestic violence

As they shared graphic stories of sexual and physical abuse, advocates for survivors of domestic violence urged state lawmakers to pass new legislation that stops criminalizing survivors. One top prosecutor, meanwhile, said there are already mechanisms in place for defendants and their lawyers to present evidence of domestic abuse to Oklahoma courts before sentencing. However, he acknowledged that district attorneys find themselves in a unique position. Oklahomans passed a constitutional amendment in recent years that elevates victims’ rights to the same level as defendants’, and the victims’ wishes now often hold considerable sway in the outcomes. Leigh Goodmark, the director of the gender violence clinic at the University of Maryland, said over the past 40 years, anti-violence advocates have touted legislative victories and increased enforcement of laws criminalizing gender-based violence and the longer penalties as proof of society’s dedication to ensure those who commit violence will be held accountable. But one of the most serious consequences of those policies has been the increased rates of arrest, prosecution, conviction and incarceration of victims of violence, the same people the laws were supposed to protect, Goodmark said.