CLAYTON -- Janice Allen has been working with domestic violence and sexual assault victims at Harbor, Incorporated for the past 11 years. It isn’t what she started out to do, but according to her, it is what God called her to do.
“I know I’m supposed to be here trying to help these women get safe,” she said.
Her small office at Harbor, Inc. has seven framed photographs of diverse women and children. “Those are the ones I lost,” Allen says quietly. The photos are those of the women and children who were murdered at the hands of their abusers.
Allen works as the court advocate for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. She is the person that is called whenever a person, usually a woman or child, is taken to the hospital in the middle of the night after being beaten or raped. She patiently explains the choices the victim has regarding the suspect.
Allen also serves at the county courthouse Monday through Friday. She assists people seeking court orders of protection against their abusers. It is her duty to explain the differences between the various orders of protection and determine which one best suits the victim and the situation.
“Sometimes it’s hard to explain the differences to people, because they don’t know the law,” Allen said. “We want to get the most protection for the victim while being truthful about the relationships and situation.”
On Feb. 13 a woman and her husband came to the courthouse to request an order of protection for their daughter, a minor, who claimed that her step-grandfather sexually abused her. The man had also made threats against the girl’s father to a sheriff’s deputy.
Allen had to explain that the strongest form of protection, what is known as a 50-B protective order, was not applicable to the situation because technically the step-grandfather was not a blood relative.
“I’ve had judges throw out my requests for a 50-B because they aren’t really related,” Allen explained.
In order to ensure the maximum amount of protection granted by the law for unrelated people that do not live in the same house, the family had to file a 50-C order or a civil no contact order.
The judge granted the family an ex-parte order that will last for 10 days. However, because all defendants have an opportunity to face their accuser the child will have to testify in domestic court in front of the man she claims abused her as to the particulars of her accusations.
Allen is concerned that the civil case against the girl’s step-grandfather will traumatize her to the point of refusing to testify in a criminal case that is not scheduled to begin for several months.
With that in mind Allen volunteered to show the child where the trial will take place and try to prepare her for the kinds of questions she will be asked. “These allegations can lead a person to 20 years in prison,” Allen explained. “He’ll [the defendant] have a lawyer and that might scare this little girl.” She went on to say that the girl’s statement in the criminal trial will be paramount to the success of the case, so she wants to ensure that this initial trial is as amenable as it can be for the child.
From Jan. 1 of this year until Feb. 10, 90 people came to the court house looking for court ordered protection. After meeting with all of them, 80 decided to pursue the court orders.
“Did you know that 75 percent of the murders in domestic cases come after the woman leaves?” Allen asks. Domestic violence is about control, and often when the woman leaves the abusers feel like they are loosing their sense of control. “We have to do everything in our power to keep these women safe. Those pictures keep me going. I don’t want anymore pictures in my office.”
