On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Domestic Violence on Thursday, February 6, 2014.
Domestic violence is a horrible thing to suffer through. In today’s tough society, everyone should have at least one place where they can feel safe and secure, and that place for most people would be their home. However, some people are at even more danger in their homes than out in the world. For some people who are subjected to domestic violence, their home becomes a prison from which there is seemingly no escape.
Domestic violence is a serious problem in this country, but it is important for victims to know that they do not have to suffer in silence. The law is very clear when it comes to domestic violence victims in Missouri, and the laws will become even stronger if state Senator Gina Walsh gets her way. She is sponsoring a bill that seeks to extend protections for those in Missouri’s Safe at Home program, a program designed to protect the addresses of victims of domestic violence.
The Safe at Home program helps survivors of domestic violence to keep their real address private from public records and mail. This protects the survivors from abusers trying to seek them out and subject them to further abuse. However, abusers can be persistent, and some attempt to discover the confidential address, as well. This bill would make an attempt to discover a survivor’s home address a class D felony, the punishment of which could be imprisonment for up to four years.
If this bill passes, it will serve to make Missouri’s domestic abuse laws even stronger. The mental and physical abuse that offenders force on victims is a very serious matter, and stronger laws can only benefit domestic abuse victims. If you or a loved one has suffered from domestic abuse, do not suffer in silence. The law is on your side.
Source: KSMU, “Proposed bill would toughen Missouri’s domestic violence laws,” Jennifer Davidson, Jan. 31, 2014
