From Our Executive Director: 4 Forms Of Public Safety
At The Heights, one of our core values is Safety and Justice. While many people recognize our work as victim advocacy and support services, they may not realize that The Heights is also an important part of the public safety system in Ellis County.
Every day, our team works alongside law enforcement, prosecutors, healthcare professionals, and the courts to help create a safer community. When victims of domestic violence, adult sexual assault, human trafficking, elder abuse, and other violent crimes receive support, protection, and access to justice, the entire community benefits.
In this newsletter, we would like to highlight four ways The Heights contributes to public safety.
1. The Heights Reduces A Community’s Lethality Rate For Domestic Abuse Victims
Every client that comes to the Heights receives a lethality assessment that is based on scientific research and provides critical information for each victim to know what their risk of experiencing a domestic violence homicide is. At the Heights, over 50 percent of our clients score in the extreme danger category for being killed by their abuser. Most people do not understand how serious domestic abuse can be for those who experience it. Over 50 percent of our victims also report that their abuser has strangled them at least one time. If a client experiences strangulation they are 750 percent more likely to be killed by their abuser. These tests help our clients know how serious their situations are. Providing wraparound services in one place like we do, from a multi-disciplinary, multi-agency team of professionals, saves lives.
2. The Heights Provides Adult Sexual Assault Forensic Exams
Our new Adult Sexual Assault Clinic is another example of how victim-centered services strengthen public safety. Prior to the opening of our clinic local law enforcement officers often spent hours waiting during the adult sexual assault examination process, reducing their availability to respond to calls for service. Today, adult victims can receive forensic medical care locally allowing officers to return more quickly to serving the community. This not only improves the experience for victims but also helps alleviate significant staffing and resource burdens for our public safety partners. The exams also provide critical forensic evidence that allow perpetrators to be prosecuted making our community more safe.
3. The Heights Reduces A Community’s Overall Violent Crime Rate
Research has consistently demonstrated a strong connection between domestic violence and other forms of violent crime. Communities that effectively address domestic violence and hold offenders accountable are better positioned to reduce the overall violent crime rate. Studies show that if domestic violence offenders are not stopped from hurting people in their own home it can spill over into other violent crimes in the communities were they live. One study showed that 100 percent of all criminals are exposed to domestic violence as a child. 68 percent of mass shootings also have a record of domestic abuse. 80 percent of those who kill law enforcement also have a record of domestic violence. These studies show that domestic violence is not just a small private problem at home. Domestic violence is a crime and if left unchecked it can lead to more violent crime in our community. If we can prosecute domestic violence offenders it can make our community safer by preventing other crimes. Crime prevention is often difficult to measure because it represents the tragedies that never happen, the crimes that never occur, and the lives that are changed before violence can continue. Yet we see its impact every day.
4. The Heights Camp Hope Program Breaks The Cycle Of Violence
One of the most meaningful examples of public safety at the Heights is Camp Hope. Research shows that three out of four kids who grew up witnessing domestic abuse in their homes will repeat the violence or become a victim. Camp Hope gives children the opportunity to heal, build confidence, and experience hope. By investing in these young lives, we are helping to interrupt cycles of violence and create healthier futures for the next generation. Camp Hope is a national program and we believe it is the best form of domestic abuse crime prevention in the country because it is proven to heal children in ways that keep them from committing future crimes in their adult lives. We also believe that Camp Hope is the best form of offender and prison reform in the country. Camp Hope proves the best way to heal offenders is to do it before they commit crimes and the best form of prison reform is keeping adults who were exposed to domestic violence from going to jail in the first place. All of this work is public safety work and it ultimately makes our community safer and saves lives. You can read more about the success of our national Camp Hope program that includes detailed research and more about our own Heights experience at Camp Hope from May 25-30 in the following newsletter story written by our Family Services Coordinator, Elizabeth Click.
In addition to these four forms of public safety listed above the Heights serves as a critical community resource through advocacy, counseling, emergency shelter, case management, and others forms of coordinated community response. We help victims navigate some of the most difficult moments of their lives while supporting the justice process that holds offenders accountable. Accountability is essential not only for the safety of current victims, but also for breaking the generational cycles of violence that can impact families for decades. Safety and Justice are not achieved by any one agency working alone. These values are the result of a community united in protecting victims, holding offenders accountable, and creating pathways toward healing and hope. At The Heights, we are proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our law enforcement partners, the courts, healthcare providers, and community leaders as we work together to build a safer Ellis County for everyone.
