Domestic Violence

“The Bad-o feeling came back. About Poppa not knowing I’d cut out from home, and Momma worrying because she knew. That wasn’t fair at all. Coño, she wasn’t the one that laid that belt on my ass and it wasn’t fair that she would get whipped really bad again for something she didn’t do. So I made up my mind. I made it down the stairs from the rooftops, my feet smashing out loud echoes. I didn’t give a shit who heard; I wasn’t a runaway anymore.”

Excerpt “Down These Mean Streets” by Piri Thomas

Real Life and Fiction often mirror each other. As seen in Piri Thomas’ fictional autobiography “Down These Mean Streets”, many of the ills he lived through parallel experiences we live or see in our communities. One major social problem that our communities face is that of Domestic Violence. Every 15 seconds a woman is physically assaulted within her home. (National Clearinghouse for Defense of Battered Women, 1988). In homes where domestic violence occurs, children are at greater risk for physical abuse. The emotional effects of witnessing domestic violence are similar to the psychological traumas associated with being a victim of child abuse. Each year, an estimated 3.3 million children witness domestic violence.

TASK: You will conduct a web-based research to read more about the problems of domestic violence in New York City and public policy on domestic violence as well as finding agencies that provide support for individuals dealing with this crisis. You will also research a real life case of domestic violence in NYC in order to inform us through a power-point/oral presentation of the outcome the case.

PROCESS: In order to complete this web quest, first, you must follow the Public Policy steps found at the TIPS web site. At this web site, you will use the first six steps and you must complete the worksheets related to each of the Public Policy steps; in order to complete those steps you will, you will read about the issue of domestic violence, and answer questions related to domestic violence by using one of the related links. You must also find out what the Public Policy is on domestic violence. And finally select a real life NYC case from the links provided below that you are going to discuss.

Worksheets 1-6 on the TIPS PPA website.

a. Define the Problem Worksheet 1 http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/select.html

b. Gather Evidence Worksheet 2 http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/gather.html

c. Identify Causes Worksheet 3 http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/identify.html

d. Evaluate Policy Worksheet 4 http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/existing.html

e. Develop Solutions Worksheet 5 http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/solutions.html

f. Select best Solution Worksheet 6 http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/bestsol.html

Questions related to Domestic Violence

1.What Is Domestic Violence?

2.Define what the term battered woman means.

3.What is battered wife syndrome?

4.What are the three types of domestic abuse? Define each type.

5. What are some of the emotional effects of domestic violence on children?

6. What are some of the danger/ warning signs of domestic violence?

7. Why do men batter women?

8.Why do women stay in abusive relationships?

9.What are some of the barriers that prevent women from leaving?

10. Where can someone turn to when dealing with this crisis?

Resources

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/welcome.html (Tips Web-site)

http://www.lacaaw.org/pdfs/herstory.pdf (Historical Background)

http://www.cherokeecountysheriff.com/Domestic%20Violence.htm (Domestic Violence Information)

http://www.ncadv.org (Information and Policy)

http://www.opdv.state.ny.us/ (Policy/Resource/Information)

http://www.opdv.state.ny.us/workplace/statepolicy.html (Policy)

http://www.geocities.com/beyondbadge/Dom_viol.htm Domestic Violence Policy (Law)

http://www.nycja.org/research/reports/ressum43.pdf (Research/Case Study)

http://venus.soci.niu.edu/~archives/ABOLISH/rick-halperin/jun00/0169.html Gladys Ricart (Facts/article) Domestic Violence Case

http://search.abclocal.go.com/wabc/query.html?ht=0&qp=&qt=domestic+violence+cases&qs=&qc=wabc&pw=100%25&ws=0&qm=0&st=1&nh=10&lk=1&rf=0&rq=0&si=0 (Current Cases & Issues)

Evaluation

Presentation Rubric- evaluating student presentation

Excellent	Satisfactory	Minimal Satisfactory	Unsatisfactory
Organization Student presentation is logical, clear and fully captivates audience interest.	Organization Student presentation is logical, clear and somehow captivates audience interest	Organization Student presentation is logical and somehow clear but not captivating.	Organization Student presentation is illogical and distorted.
Subject Knowledge Student demonstrates full knowledge of subject matter and beyond	Subject Knowledge Student demonstrates knowledge of subject matter	Subject Knowledge Student demonstrates a little knowledge of subject matter subject matter	Subject Knowledge Student does not know subject matter
Accuracy No grammatical errors	Accuracy Very few grammatical errors	Accuracy Some grammatical errors	Accuracy Too many grammatical errors that distorts meaning of words

Conclusion: When you have completed this activity, you will have a greater understanding of the problem of domestic violence in our communities, and the difficulties of establishing a successful way to put in end to this ill. You will have demonstrated your ability to use the Internet to research topics relevant to you and society. You will have used critical thinking skills to make decisions on what policies would be most effective.

In addition, you will have received skills that coincide with the following New York State standards:

E1c: Read and comprehend informational materials.

E2a: Produce a report of information.

E3c: Prepare and deliver an individual presentation