The very streets of Dallas light up with a somber blue, a hue that's become the rallying cry against the night's darkest secret – human trafficking. It was a privilege to have Bianca Davis, CEO of New Friends, New Life, join us to unravel this crisis that casts shadows over our city. With January marking National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, our conversation wove through the brutal realities of the trade, the importance of vigilance, and the powerful legislative milestones that propel our...
Jan 22, 2024•42 min
Every January, we're reminded of the chilling reality of stalking and its devastating repercussions. This month, we echo the courage of Debbie Riddle, who transformed her grief into advocacy after the murder of her sister Peggy by a stalker. Together with Jennifer Landhuis from the Stalking Prevention Awareness and Resource Center (SPARC), we tackle the difficult nuances of stalking, from the subtle signs to the overt, with a critical eye on how law enforcement and the public acknowledge and res...
Jan 08, 2024•48 min
Family courts have a crucial role in ensuring the safety and well-being of families, particularly those experiencing domestic violence. However, numerous systemic failures and hidden truths in these courts have recently come under scrutiny. This episode with Joan Meier, a distinguished lawyer and clinical law professor, aims to shed light on these significant issues. Joan Meier has dedicated her career to rectifying injustices in civil cases, from contentious custody battles to protection orders...
Dec 11, 2023•54 min
In this episode we explore the intricate dynamics of family courts with Dr. Bandy Lee. Dr. Lee, an expert in violence hailing from Yale School of Medicine and Yale Law School, as well as the current president of the World Mental Health Coalition, delves into the tactics used by domestic violence offenders within the legal system and the profound consequences these actions have on family courts. Family courts, which are meant to be havens of justice and protection, can unfortunately turn into cha...
Nov 13, 2023•40 min•Season 5Ep. 4
Have you ever paused to consider how your perception of Indigenous people is shaped by language and societal narratives? Our guest, Christina Love, challenges us to reevaluate these preconceptions as she candidly shares her journey. An Indigenous speaker, educator, survivor, and activist, Christina provides us with a raw account of her experiences with violence, addiction, and personal healing. Love's personal narrative paints a vivid picture of the high rates of violence and addiction within Na...
Oct 30, 2023•55 min•Season 5Ep. 3
Join us for a transformative discussion with survivor Lt. Mark Wynn (retired) and film producers Kirsten Kelly and Andrew Schwertfeger as we talk about the new film, "This is Where I Learned Not to Sleep." Released in 2023, this documentary film explores Mark's journey after experiencing domestic violence as a child, as well as his commitment to transforming the law enforcement response to domestic violence. In our behind-the-scenes look at the documentary, we learn about the compelling reasons ...
Oct 16, 2023•55 min•Season 5Ep. 2
Have you ever found yourself questioning the truth behind the words of a person accused of a crime? What if there was a tool that could potentially detect deception patterns and reflect the truth? In today's episode, we're thrilled to have the creator of such an instrument, Dr. Darrell Turner, who will enlighten us about the Analysis of Patterns of Denial (APOD), designed specifically to detect deception among those accused of sexual offenses. Dr. Turner isn't just teaching us about APOD in this...
Oct 02, 2023•51 min•Season 5Ep. 1
In May 2023 the White House launched the U.S. National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence to address the national concerns related to gender-based violence and provide a roadmap for the vision that "theUnited States will be a place where all people live free from gender-based violence in all aspects of their lives." On July 13, 2023, the Podcast on Crimes Against Women met with Rosie Hidalgo for an in-depth dialogue about this plan which she describes as "a pathway to safety." In this episode, Ms...
Jul 17, 2023•1 hr 27 min•Season 4Ep. 24
Clinical and forensic psychologist Dr. Darrel Turner spent 12 years developing a tool with the primary function to evaluate the truthfulness of denial in interviews with alleged sexual offenders. The result of his research is APOD, a scientifically sound instrument that aids investigators and clinicians in the Analysis of Patterns of Denial. Dr. Turner joins the conversation to discuss this new approach, how it works, and the key terms and patterns investigators can look for when determining the...
Jun 26, 2023•42 min•Season 4Ep. 23
Genetic genealogy has the potential to solve up to 90% of crimes including cold cases that have gone unsolved for decades. We first witnessed the power of this technology in the case of the Golden State Killer (GSK) in 2020. But it's more than just a tool for identifying perpetrators: genetic genealogy transforms how - and how quickly - crimes can be solved, and it accelerates both justice and potential healing for survivors of those crimes. In this episode we explore the impact of genetic genea...
Jun 19, 2023•42 min•Season 4Ep. 22
We continue our conversation about the Tulane University School of Law Women's Prison Project to explore the work of jailhouse lawyers within women's prisons in the state of Louisiana. Hannah Groedel, the Emil Gumpert Access to Justice Legal Fellow at Tulane Law, leads the effort to educate and support jailhouse lawyers, also known as counsel subs. Ms. Groedel joins the conversation to provide an overview of the work, its challenges and the long road to justice that women experience when wrongfu...
Jun 12, 2023•39 min•Season 4Ep. 21
The Women's Prison Project offers transformative no-cost legal representation for survivors of domestic violence who have been wrongfully incarcerated in the state of Louisiana. Co-director Becki Kondar, and supervising attorneys Carlotta Lepingwell and Stas Moroz join the conversation to discuss how domestic violence can impact a woman's chances for incarceration and how the project is working to change that. The Women's Prison Project was awarded the Ignite Award at the 2023 CCAW. The project ...
Jun 05, 2023•42 min•Season 4Ep. 20
Two-thirds of mass shootings in the U.S. are committed by perpetrators with a history of domestic violence. A recent report from the Office of Justice Programs’ National Criminal Justice Reference Service explores the connection between domestic violence and mass shootings offering both findings as well as opportunities for improving prevention and response. Jan Langbein and Jordyn Lawson of Genesis explore the highlights of the report, characteristics of these offenders, issues of entitlement a...
May 15, 2023•49 min•Season 4Ep. 19
Research demonstrates that people who experience abuse have significantly higher risks for both mental health challenges and substance use disorders. The complex pattern of abuse that is coercive control increases these dangers for survivors especially when an abuser uses a mental health diagnosis or substance use against the victim. Taken a step further, when an abusive partner alleges substance use or mental health concerns against a survivor, the legal justice system will often revictimize th...
May 08, 2023•39 min•Season 4Ep. 18
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime defines human trafficking as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring, or receipt of people through force, fraud, or deception, with the aim of exploiting them for profit. Domestically, per the United States Dept. of Justice , the definition is similar, stating that trafficking of persons involves compelling or coercing a person to provide labor services, or to engage in commercial sex acts. Locally, the Texas Attorney General’s Office al...
May 01, 2023•48 min•Season 4Ep. 17
Children are often the overlooked and underserved victims of domestic violence, especially post-separation from an abusive partner. It is during post-separation that technology is often weaponized to target children further abusing and controlling them and their mothers. This episode explores recent studies that expose the extensive levels of abuse children experience in homes where domestic violence occurs with an emphasis on technology-facilitated methods of abuse. Our guest, criminologist and...
Apr 24, 2023•55 min•Season 4Ep. 16
Trauma-informed judges who understand domestic violence from a survivor's perspective are becoming more common but are not yet commonplace. In this episode, we talk with Judge Michael Denton, a veteran judge with decades of experience in both trauma-informed judicial training and practical experience navigating domestic violence cases about the benefits of the trauma-informed approach and the development of related specialty courts. Michael Denton has served Travis County for more than 30 years,...
Apr 17, 2023•41 min•Season 4Ep. 15
Ten percent - or one in ten - of men are buyers of commercial sex. In doing so they are perpetuating an industry that not only continues the objectification of women but also endangers the lives of women and girls. This episode explores the tactics of sex buyers and the traffickers they work with to buy women and girls for sex, how sex buyers are prosecuted, and what it will take to reduce or eliminate the commercial sex industry. Alisa Bernard and Benjamin Gauen join the conversation to offer p...
Apr 10, 2023•54 min•Season 4Ep. 14
Founded with the tenet, "Muslim women for all women" the Texas Muslim Women's Foundation has evolved into a robust continuum of care for survivors of domestic abuse. While the culturally sensitive services offered by the foundation align with the principles of Islam, embracing peace in the home and condemning violence, they are available to women from all cultures. Heena Khan, LPC-S, RPT, the foundation's Director of Clinical & Counseling Services and the founder of Uplift Counseling Service...
Apr 03, 2023•51 min•Season 4Ep. 13
Black women in the United States are disproportionately affected by violence and yet face significant barriers to services and support. While progress has been made over recent decades to better respond to their experiences, as Karma Cottman, CEO and Executive Director of Ujima, the National Center on Violence Against Women in the Black Community tells us, "we have a long way to go." In this episode, we discuss the state of violence against black women in America, how firearm possession by viole...
Mar 27, 2023•52 min•Season 4Ep. 12
Is it possible to end gender-based violence and human trafficking in just one generation? Programs like manKINDness, a men's advocacy program at New Friends New Life in Dallas, Texas, are working to do that and much more. By addressing gender-based violence and human trafficking directly with young men, the manKINDness program is taking steps to usher in a cultural shift that reverses toxic masculinity and embraces respect. In this episode, Matt Osborne explains the enormity of the problems of h...
Mar 20, 2023•43 min•Season 4Ep. 11
In recent years the terms narcissist, gaslighting, and coercive control have become household words. And often times those words are being applied as labels to behaviors of abusive partners, albeit incorrectly. In response to the labeling and possible misunderstanding of what or who is a "narcissist" and when the use of terms related to narcissistic personality disorder are actually appropriate, we revisit our 2021 conversation on this topic with Dr. Ramani Durvasula, a licensed clinical psychol...
Mar 13, 2023•58 min•Season 4Ep. 10
The criminal justice system is the avenue that victims and survivors are legally expected to take when seeking justice for crimes committed against them. However, this system is primarily designed to ensure that the rights of both victims and defendants are upheld. Unfortunately, the rights for victims and survivors - both human and legal - are disproportionately compromised by an overabundance of caseloads, insufficient financial resources, and limited manpower along with the pervasiveness of u...
Mar 06, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Season 4Ep. 9
Coercive control underlies most experiences of domestic violence and often manifests as an insidious pattern of manipulation that strips victims of their autonomy. It is also a form of child abuse that likely impacts 100% of children living with an abusive parent. In part 2 of our discussion on this topic, we unpack the impact of this form of psychological abuse upon children in the home where domestic violence occurs. Dr. Christine Cocchiola explains how children are entangled in the web of abu...
Feb 27, 2023•49 min•Season 4Ep. 8
Coercive control underlies most experiences of domestic violence and often manifests as an insidious pattern of manipulation that strips victims of their autonomy. Dr. Christine Cocchiola joins the podcast to break down what coercive control is, how to recognize it in abusive relationships, and how to find the support needed to heal the trauma. Dr. Cocchiola is a Coercive Control Advocate, Researcher, Educator & Professor of Social Work, and a Survivor who has been dedicated to the field of ...
Feb 20, 2023•32 min•Season 4Ep. 7
In 1998, Rita Smith had her very first conversation with leaders of the National Football League (NFL) about the role the league can play in addressing domestic violence and sexual assault offenses committed by its players. It took 15 years, numerous allegations of intimate partner abuse against football players, and a lot of persistence from Smith and others for the league to take action. The turning point was the Ray Rice incident of 2014. Since that time, the NFL has retained Rita Smith as a ...
Feb 13, 2023•54 min•Season 4Ep. 6
Technology is intimately intertwined with our daily lives and for people in abusive relationships, the internet and social media can become a perpetrator's playground. Case in point: according to expert in tech-enabled abuse Adam Dodge, "The average person has 80 apps on their phone and 90 online accounts. That's 170 different ways that somebody can reach out and monitor you, impersonate you, threaten you, stalk you, steal sensitive information and post it online, cause financial harm, send you ...
Jan 30, 2023•44 min•Season 4Ep. 4
The impact of gun violence in America is well-documented as 23,000 people in the U.S. were killed by a firearm in 2021, and firearms are now considered the leading cause of death for our nation’s youth. For women, the statistics are even more dire, as the presence of a gun in her home makes her 3-times more likely to be murdered. And if her abusive partner has a firearm, femicide risk increases 1,000%. More than just statistics, the lives and futures of women are increasingly at risk from the Am...
Jan 23, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Season 4Ep. 3
Stalking is a pattern of behavior directed at a specific person that causes a reasonable person to fear for their safety or the safety of others. And each year, over 13 million people experience it in various ways - being followed, receiving unwanted communications or gifts, through social media, and more. And when the stalker is a former intimate partner, post-separation abuse can materialize as stalking. Rachel Gibson of the National Center for Victims of Crime leads us through the realities o...
Jan 16, 2023•1 hr•Season 4Ep. 2
Survivors of domestic violence often lack the resources to secure legal representation in either or both civil and criminal courts. And navigating the civil and criminal justice systems can be overwhelming for survivors. What's more, offenders in criminal domestic violence cases are entitled to attorney representation while their victims are not. To address the shortcomings of systems that do not adequately address the needs of survivors, organizations like the DC Volunteer Lawyers Project have ...
Jan 09, 2023•48 min•Season 4Ep. 1
