Genderised anti DV legislation.

The unspoken fact that anti-DV legislation is gender specific is at last being accepted in circles other than men's and fathers groups.

Anyone with an interest in DV would benefit from reading this snippet of a newly published paper.
The full paper can be read at  http://www.nzcpr.com/guest135.htm
The author is Stuart Birks of Massey University.
  - - - - -
NZCPR Guest Forum
Stuart Birks -  Director of the Centre for Public Policy Evaluation, Massey
University.

28 February 2009

'Rethinking Stopping Violence Programmes'
On 16 February Principal Family Court Judge Peter Boshier gave a speech to a hui in which he questioned the value of stopping violence programmes (Boshier, 2009) . He recognises that there are problems with the current "one-size-fits-all" approach of current anti-violence programmes. Some might see this as a significant development. Others will be sceptical. His predecessor, Judge Patrick Mahony, made a point about the complexity and diversity of domestic violence at a Social Policy Forum in 2002, where he said, "I note that although the legislation is gender neutral a lot of the thinking behind the Act was based on what is often called the 'Power and Control Model' developed at a place called Duluth in Massachusetts which is strongly gender based" (Mahony, 2003, p. 8) . He then explained: "Research has identified other forms of domestic violence [besides the Duluth model] strongly interactive, sometimes female initiated, in addition to violence arising out of mental illness, and incidents of violence occurring in the extremely stressful period of separation with no history, and no future risk.

It is important that through evidence, Courts know what they are dealing with in individual cases." (Mahony, 2003, p. 9) Judge Mahony's words of caution appear to have had little impact in the past six years. Now Judge Boshier makes a similar point when he says, "If we accept that family violence - always a choice on the part of the perpetrator - is enormously broad and complex in nature, then consideration of the causes for the violence must surely be relevant to determining how to stop it." Nevertheless, beyond a concern at the lack of evidence about the effectiveness of programmes, Judge Boshier just proposes separate courses for first-time, Maori or Asian offenders, and the opportunity for further, follow-up courses. He makes no attempt to challenge the gendered perspective as a whole, even if he may have some doubts about a particular, dominant gendered model. This might simply be a sign of political realism. He is battling against entrenched attitudes.

 . . . . . . . This gendered interpretation with a heavy emphasis on "power and control" can also be seen in a recent Fact Sheet (New Zealand Family Violence Clearinghouse, 2007) which challenges the studies which find equal levels of violence by men and women (New Zealand Family Violence Clearinghouse, 2007) . Data on severe violence indicates predominantly male perpetrators, but data used to show large scale prevalence of violence come from these broader studies with gender-balanced results.

- - -snip

The Judicial War On Fatherhood

I recently discovered this review of Taken Into Custody by the popular libertarian writer and editor William Grigg. Though published some time ago, I did not know about this review. This is ironic, for I have been reading and admiring Grigg's writings for some time. He was especially good (and widely quoted) on the child confiscations of the Texas polygamists.

Stephen

******************************

The Judicial War On Fatherhood

The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers.

Dick the Butcher, adding his contribution to Jack Cade's Utopian promises, from Shakespeare's Henry VI, pt. II (Act 4, scene 2)

“Most people mistakenly assume metal detectors were installed in courthouses because of criminals and terrorists,” observes Dr. Stephen Baskerville, an assistant professor of government at Patrick Henry College.

In fact, retrofitting courtrooms with metal detectors and other security enhancements was prompted by concerns over violence perpetrated by fathers whose families have been sundered and children have been stolen by what Dr. Baskerville calls “the divorce regime.”

Although divorce can be initiated at whim by either party, the system described in Baskerville's infuriating but indispensable new book, Taken Into Custody, is designed to encourage women to file first. Not that it matters all that much...

Read the rest here.

************************************************

Stephen Baskerville, PhD
Associate Professor of Government
Patrick Henry College
1 Patrick Henry Circle
Purcellville, Virginia  20132

 

Now Available from Cumberland House Publishing:

Taken Into Custody: The War Against Fathers, Marriage, and the Family

STEPHEN BASKERVILLE, PhD

“This book is a tremendous and much-needed report on how family courts and government policies are harming children."     -- Phyllis Schlafly, President, Eagle Forum

Order today at Amazon's special price of $19.56 (regular price $24.95).

For more than 80 articles and studies in mainstream publications on the abuses of the divorce industry, see www.stephenbaskerville.net.

UK Evil ; "In the best interests of the children" !!

The best interests of the child saying In social work terms is like “Abracadabra” to a magician. This phrase, cause sheriffs, judges, lawyers and professionals that deal with children to cringe and agree unreservedly with every word that social services say like they have no will or mind of their own. They should be ashamed to call themselves servants of the people.

That must mean the social services think they are perfect and a law onto themselves.

Has nothing penetrated through to our members of parliaments that they allowed this law to be passed?

How many times have social services found to be not working to their own policies.

How many children have been adopted and been lost to their parents and the social services were to blame with inaccurate statements.

How many children have been removed wrongly by social services?

How many children have been proven to be abused in care?

Now see for yourself it is disgusting.

(Quote) Independent Media. But as of April, because of a change in legislation being introduced by Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, the media will no longer be able to identify those involved in cases such as the W--------. It will also be illegal for any children currently in care to speak out, even if they feel they are being maltreated. (unquote)

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/press/justice-ministry-to-bar-parents-from-telling-their-own-stories-1622154.html

The Websters: a crisis of complexity

The story of children removed from their parents is tragic, but when the evidence tells a different story, who are we to believe?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/feb/13/websters-child-protection

Link to information about our demonstration. http://gapukinfo.blogspot.com/

Jimmy Deuchars

Grandparents Apart UK

22 Alness crescent

Glasgow G52 1PJ

0141 882 5658

http://www.grandparentsapart.co.uk

If we have intruded please forgive us as it is children’s welfare we are concerned about.

To unsubscribe send back original email and stating ‘remove me’ and it will be done.

Grandparents Apart UK is non-profit staffed by volunteers Charity.

Any problems phone Jimmy 0141 882 5658

www.grandparentsapart.co.uk 

The Evolution of Dad: Ralph Benitez - Fatherhood as Salvation

Judge puts boot into boot camps

 

"At the end of the day, we've got an inadequate workforce," he said. "There's no specialist training in child and adolescent psychology in New Zealand and it's a gap."

Can somebody tell this psycho nutbar that all responsible and loving parents are well trained in common sense family psychology. We don't need some dickwack academic dictating to us on the correct nurturing process for healthy and well balanced children. The left despises the thought of parents putting in place childhood boundaries, because they want the tentacles of big brother government in every household. That makes it easier for the state to control the family unit, meanwhile radical feminists do their best to create a huge gravy train fractured family growth business for psychologists and lawyers.


http://www.stuff.co.nz/4861598a11.html

Judge puts boot into boot camps

By EMILY WATT - The Dominion Post | Friday, 27 February 2009

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The traditional "boot camp" for young offenders was "arguably the least successful sentence in the Western world", the principal Youth Court judge says.

"It made them healthier, fitter, faster, but they were still burglars, just harder to catch, " Judge Andrew Becroft said.

He said physical programmes backed up by mentoring and family support could work, but New Zealand's corrective training camps, which ran up till 2002, found 92 per cent of young attendees reoffended within a year.

"It was a spectacular, tragic, flawed, failure," he said.

The Government's proposed military-style activity camps, introduced this month as part of its 100-day urgency plan, has worried some justice and youth experts, who say overseas and local experience show military-style boot camps do not work.

Judge Becroft made it clear he was not commenting on government policy, but said any debate on the merits of a so-called "boot camp" must be clear on what was being discussed.

An outdoor, physically challenging programme run by quality instructors, combined with intense family therapy, drug and alcohol counselling, education and other support could be beneficial.

Kim Workman, of Reducing Crime and Punishment, said American experience showed that when the military-style "short, sharp, shock" approach was combined with mentoring and after-care, it still made no difference at all.

A physical programme based on a therapeutic model could be beneficial, he said, and there were already a handful of outdoor-based programmes in the country that were working well.

Social Development Minister Paula Bennett agreed the old boot camps lacked the necessary follow-up support to work.

But the Government's proposed military-style activity camps would be followed by six to nine months of intensive mentoring, she said.

"At no point are we going to throw them in there, get them fit, beat them around a little bit and send them back on the street, that's just not it at all."

Ms Bennett has said the three-month camps for the country's 40 most dangerous young offenders would use army-type facilities and training methods to teach self-discipline, personal responsibility and community values as well as literacy, numeracy and drug and alcohol support.

Ms Bennett agreed the proposal was contentious and welcomed healthy public debate. She said she had been congratulated by police and army personnel who strongly support the scheme.

The policy is a favourite of Prime Minister John Key, who raised it in his state of the nation speech last year, talking about the "1000 ticking time bombs" of youth offenders on the streets.

Auckland University psychologist Ian Lambie agreed boot camps alone would not work but could be effective with long-term follow-up. He said the Defence Force would need support to deal with the highest-risk youths, and more skilled clinical psychologists and social workers were needed.

"At the end of the day, we've got an inadequate workforce," he said. "There's no specialist training in child and adolescent psychology in New Zealand and it's a gap."

Suppression continues for woman who admits under-age sex

 This is just another example of judicial sexism. If the offender was a man then the sympathetic female judge would not consider name suppression. The court does not consider the feelings of children of fathers that are falsely accused by a gender bias justice system.


http://www.courtnews.co.nz/story.php?id=1720

Suppression continues for woman who admits under-age sex

By David Clarkson

A 36-year-old mother who had sex with an under-age boy has been allowed to keep her interim name suppression for the sake of her own two daughters.

The girls are aged 10 and 15 and were described as vulnerable during the suppression appeal before Justice Christine French in the High Court at Christchurch today.

When the woman pleaded guilty on January 16, District Court Judge Stephen Erber refused suppression but allowed the interim order to continue until the appeal could be heard.

Justice French said the judge was likely to have reached a different conclusion about suppression if he had been given the additional material that was now available to the High Court.

The woman admitted the charge of having sexual connection with a boy aged 15 about September 6. The two had been at a Linwood address on an evening when they had alcohol and party pills, and then had sex.

The woman said the boy had helped himself to the pills and had initiated the sex. She admitted having sex with the boy when the police spoke to her, and said it was “the biggest mistake of my life”.

The woman is due to be sentenced in the District Court next Friday and defence counsel Gilly Ferguson said today she would be seeking permanent suppression at that hearing if an interim order were granted today.

Submissions from counsel, and medical and psychiatric reports were put before the judge.

Mrs Ferguson said the woman’s daughters had been distressed when the mother had discussed the case with them recently and she had mentioned the possibility of her name being published.

The reports mentioned the possibility of the girls facing ridicule, bullying, criticism by peers, and the desire of parents for their children to discontinue their association.

“We are dealing with one isolated moment in the life of a mother who slipped from the decent standards she had previously observed,” she said.

Prosecutor Shannon-Leigh Litt said the crown had sympathy for the two children who would be particularly vulnerable if the name was published.

Justice French said the fact that a woman had been charged with under-age sex was unusual and was likely to attract significant notoriety.

But she said it was an isolated incident and there appeared to be no need for publicity to “flush out” further offending.

“I am satisfied this is a rare case where the need to protect the appellant’s daughters displaces the public interest in revealing the appellant’s name,” she said.

The order remains interim, and a decision on permanent suppression will need to be made by the sentencing judge in the District Court on Friday.

A Black Eye for Justice

POLICE OFFICERS ought to be ardent supporters of legislation to take guns away from domestic abuse suspects. After all, it's the officers' responsibility to uphold the law, and abuse suspects use handguns and rifles to break it at alarming rates; half of the 75 domestic-violence-related homicides...

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