Divorce and Violence
Coming to a final decision on divorce may be hard enough as it is for most people. The divorce process is typically comprised of many pieces, including questions about child custody, visitation rights, child support payments, alimony, and property division.
Going through a divorce is also a very emotional experience which can leave people with a wide range of emotions, including but not limited to confusion, uncertainty, and anger. Unfortunately, some people may become extremely bitter after a divorce and resort to violence against their ex-spouses.
Sadly, it seems that you hear at least one story per week about some act of violence that was related to divorce. Sometimes, these cases boil down to money. Ex-spouses may feel that they are losing too much money in a divorce settlement. There's the recent story of the Florida deli owner who thought his wife was commanding too much money during their divorce settlement. While conspiring to have his wife killed, the man was luckily caught by police during an undercover sting.
Other recent violence has centered on custody issues. There's the very publicized and tragic case of Reno businessman Darren Mack, who thought that the judge during his Nevada divorce case was siding with his wife. Viewing himself as an advocate for father's rights during child custody cases, Mack allegedly stabbed his wife to death and then shot into the chambers of the judge who presided over the divorce case. Luckily, the judge was not severely injured, and Mack was later apprehended. He has been ordered to pay the full terms of his divorce settlement and is awaiting trial for his alleged crimes.
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These stories are tragic examples of what can unfortunately happen when divorce and violence come together. While it is quite normal to have hurt feelings following a divorce, it is ultimately how you deal with the divorce that will allow you to move forward with your life. Violence should never be advocated during or after divorce, and there is no acceptable reason for such actions.
Domestic Violence and Divorce
The Department of Justice has found that domestic violence affects more than 10 percent of the U.S. population, or approximately 32 million people. The same study discovered that there are nearly 5.3 million incidents of intimate partner violence annually among U.S. women 18 years of age and older, and 3.2 million such incidents among men.
So what exactly is domestic violence? Domestic violence entails any pattern of behavior that attempts to control and gain power over an intimate partner. This abuse can entail any physical, emotional, psychological, sexual or economic actions that threaten another person.
The Department of Justice has noted that women of all races are especially vulnerable to violence from an intimate partner. Specifically, the Department of Justice has determined that 37 percent of all women who seek emergency room care for violence-related injuries were injured by a current or former spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend.
As the statistics reveal, domestic violence can become a serious issue during unhealthy marriages. Unfortunately, finding the courage to get divorced from an abusive partner and then being able to escape them after divorce can be easier said than done.
While a married victim of domestic violence may want to file for divorce, he or she may be prohibited from doing so by a spouse who has threatened them about doing so. Victims of domestic violence may also be uncertain about filing for divorce, especially if there are any children involved. While these victims may very well want to escape these abusive relationships, they may be very scared about the ramifications of doing so.
Even for those female and male victims who have been able to divorce from abusive spouses, they may not necessarily be released from the harassment and violence. Ex-partners may disobey restraining orders and continue to disrupt their lives.
As an example of this point, the Commonwealth Fund has quoted studies estimating that "almost 1 million incidents of violence occur against a current or former spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend per year."
Unfortunately, the above cited example of the Darren Mack divorce case is an illustration of this point!
If you are a victim of domestic violence, you should contact your local authorities by calling 9-1-1 and get immediate help. You may also seek counsel from The National Domestic Violence Hotline via the web or telephone at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or 1-800-787-3224 (TTY).
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Divorce and Violence News
- Reno Man Accused of Murdering Wife & Shooting Judge in Midst of Divorce Settlement Ordered to Pay More than $1 Million (6/22/2007)
- Divorce Acrimony Linked to Separate Murders in Three States This Past Week! (3/16/2007)
- Nevada Divorce Bill Proposed After Murder of Woman & Shooting of Judge in Reno Divorce Case (3/2/2007)
- Heated Kentucky Divorce Involves Home Explosion, Arrest of Frustrated Husband (3/2/2007)
- Irreconcilable Differences Prompting Divorces & California Bank Robberies? The Weird Case of the "Irreconcilable Differences Bandit" (2/9/2007)