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How A Small Tennessee County Transformed Its Approach To Domestic Violence

Before rural Scott County remade itself into a model for managing domestic violence, Jade Peters didn’t know where to turn for help. Her ex-boyfriend was stalking her and threatened to kill other men who talked to her. She knew he had a gun, but so did many people in Scott County, and she didn’t think the justice system would take her seriously, ProPublica reports. One night in 2009, Peters was walking up her steps when she saw someone approaching. As he got closer, she realized it was her ex-boyfriend. She fumbled with her keys, trying to set off her car alarm. He pulled his hand out of his pocket. A sudden bright light pierced the darkness — the flash of a gun firing. The bullet tore through Peters’ mouth and throat, with fragments lodging in her spine. A few years ago, Scott County decided that the system that Peters and other domestic violence victims across the state contended with wasn’t good enough. Tennessee consistently has one of the highest rates of women killed by men, and most of those homicides are committed with a gun. Yet, over the years, the state has loosened its gun laws, making it easier for people to buy and carry firearms. While the state bars domestic abusers and people with felony convictions from having guns, WPLN and ProPublica found that those laws are rarely enforced.


Scott County recognized that victims in rural areas face unique barriers. There are few resources, like domestic violence shelters. Law enforcement and the courts typically lack staff and training. And cultural attitudes about domestic violence and guns can make officers and judges less likely to believe women or more reluctant to take firearms away from abusers. The county completely overhauled the way it handles domestic violence cases. It brought most of the agencies that deal with domestic violence into one building called the Family Justice Center. It then started one of the state’s only court programs solely dedicated to handling domestic violence cases. And vitally, the county took steps to better ensure that people subject to domestic violence charges or protection orders don’t have guns. Peters said that if the reforms had existed when she needed them, she would have known where to get help. “It would have made a difference,” she said.


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