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Domestic Violence
Lawmaker Flips to Support Domestic Abuse as Divorce Reason
A Mississippi lawmaker breathed life back into a proposal Monday to make domestic abuse a reason for divorce, after coming under fire recently for killing a similar measure.
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Politics
Legislators Kill Domestic Abuse Divorce Bill
A bill adding domestic abuse as grounds for divorce has died in committee. Senate Bill 2703 , which passed the Mississippi Senate, wasn't taken up Tuesday by the House Judiciary …
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Domestic Violence
Abusers Get Another Divorce Pass from #MSLeg, But Senator Pushes Back
Sen. Sally Doty, R-Brookhaven, is not giving up on making domestic abuse grounds for divorce in Mississippi. Rep. Andy Gipson, R-Braxton, killed Doby's bill on Feb. 28, in committee, not …
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WTF, Rep. Nunnelee?!?
Who ARE you, and why would you do such a thing, Rep. Nunnelee, considering you come from state where domestic abuse is such an epidemic? I mean, Haley Barbour lets …
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[Hero of the Year] Sgt. Reginald L. Cooper
Following a childhood incident in which he encountered a police officer with a terrible attitude, Sgt. Reginald L. Cooper vowed that he would become a police officer himself and would …
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Domestic Violence
EDITORIAL: State Lawmakers Must Support Abuse Victims
Domestic and interpersonal abuse, especially violence against women, are systemic and national in scope, but some clear policy and program solutions would make Mississippi safer and better for women.
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WTF, Rep. Nunnelee?!?
By Donna LaddWho ARE you, and why would you do such a thing, Rep. Nunnelee, considering you come from state where domestic abuse is such an epidemic?
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Anti-Violence Programs: 'Absolutely Ineffective'
Congress enacted the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 with laudable goals. It wanted to both prevent and treat intimate partner abuse, specifically against women in America. Since its enactment, …
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Domestic Abuse Bills Near Deadline
With an early deadline for bills bearing down Tuesday at midnight, state legislators have only two days to act on a number of bills that would stiffen the penalties for …
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Jacksonian
Mollie Wyatt
Helping abusers and victims of domestic violence get to the root of their problems is "a passion in my heart sent from God," Mollie Wyatt says.
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Angel of the Court
When it comes to domestic violence, the best defense is an orchestrated, integrated justice system. That's the kind of system that earned the Clinton Municipal Court this year's Angel Award …
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Hood Announces Guide for DV Victims
Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood announced a new information guide for domestic violence victims at a press conference yesterday.
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Domestic Violence
Bridge the Wage Gap: Domestic Violence Hurts Survivors’ Economic Security
Domestic and dating violence, or intimate partner violence, referred to as IPV, is a common reality that has short- and long-term negative effects on survivors’ economic security and independence.
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BCBS: Domestic Abuse Not Pre-Existing Condition
State Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney has clarified a statement he made to the Jackson Free Press used in a story Wednesday regarding Mississippi being one of the eight remaining states …
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Cover
Saved for a Reason: The Fight to End Domestic Violence
The Mississippi Department of Health tracks interpersonal violence in the state, and in fiscal-year 2015, law-enforcement officers responded to 10,411 calls related to domestic violence, the annual report from the …
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Mississippi House Passes Domestic Abuse Divorce Amendment
By adreherThe Mississippi House of Representatives voted to add domestic abuse as grounds for divorce this afternoon when Rep. Andy Gipson, R-Braxton, brought out an amendment to Senate Bill 2680, which clarifies that abused and neglected children can be placed with their relatives when they are removed from their homes.
Gipson's amendment clarifies that "cruel and inhuman treatment" in the state's grounds for divorce law includes both physical and non-physical abusive conduct as a ground for divorce. The amendment thoroughly defines both types of conduct as well as outlines standards of proof that a spouse would need to make.
The amendment would allow the injured spouse's testimony to meet the burden of proof to divorce their partner. The House passed Senate Bill 2680 with the new amendments unanimously. Now the Senate will have to concur with those amendments or invite conference on the bill to keep it alive.
Last week, lawmakers and citizens alike criticized Rep. Gipson for killing Sen. Sally Doty's, R-Brookhaven, bill to clarify that domestic abuse could be grounds for divorce. Gipson initially said that domestic abuse was already included in the state's divorce grounds that says "habitual cruel and inhuman treatment" is a ground for divorce. Days after killing the bill, Gipson announced on Facebook and Twitter that he was working with the Center for Violence Prevention to come up with the "House plan for this issue." Today, before bringing up the new amendment for a vote, Rep. Gipson introduced representatives from the Center for Violence Prevention to the House.
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JFP Hosts Domestic Abuse Forum at Welty Library
Why do men abuse? Why do women stay? How can the community stop the cycle of domestic abuse in a state that is among the most dangerous for women?
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A Cause To Rock For
Have you ever been physically touched by someone who had no business doing that? Ever been forced to have sexual intercourse when you had refused? Domestic violence is when one …
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Take a Stand on Violence
This week, the Center for Violence Prevention will announce a new paradigm for curbing domestic violence in the Jackson area, bringing the Duluth Model to the metropolitan area. Batterer's intervention …
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Barbour to DV Victims: ‘You Can't Trust Us'
Also see: JFP Domestic Abuse Archive and 2008 investigation of Barbour's domestic pardons.
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