Bill Sherman: We must address root causes of domestic violence

In reference to your recent article (“Records reveal domestic violence arrest numbers,” Apache Junction Independent, Jan. 1, 2022), I would like to respond.

“The good news is Arizona is a pro-victim state” is nothing to really be proud of because Arizona does nothing to actually stop domestic violence!

Just arresting and charging an offender does nothing to stop the continued violence. Why do I say this? I’m a former offender and I developed and ran a Domestic Violence Offender program for over a decade. It was in state prisons as well as county jails all over northern California.

The program was developed in conjunction with the local battered women’s shelters as to address battered women’s concerns and needs for the violence to stop.

I tried for seven years to get such programs started in Pinal County and there’s still no interest in stopping domestic violence. We can build all the shelters in the world, provide services for victims, but until we address the root cause of the violence (not the victim), domestic violence is here to stay.

I was a guest presenter at one of Pinal County’s Domestic Violence Task Force annual conferences; there was a little over 300 professionals in attendance. Police officers, shelter workers, nurses, doctors, psychologists and therapists were in attendance and only three people of 300 worked with offenders.

Do the math that’s 0.01% of the resources going toward dedicated offender programs designed to stop domestic violence. This is why domestic violence will never end in Arizona! Why is that? Batterer’s are not crazy, it not a psychological disorder.

it is a learned behavior that has been socially supported back to the “As a Rule of Thumb” derived from English Common Law that allowed a man to beat his wife with a stick so long as it was no thicker than his thumb! Boys are taught not to feel afraid or hurt, shake it off and be a man, and that is just the tip of the iceberg!