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Next Time, He'll Kill You
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It tore me apart Friday when I heard that Rihanna was already planning to reconcile with her batterer. Maybe she’s too young to know about Nicole Brown. Maybe no one has given her the ugly numbers about intimate partner violence in this country, or talked about the factors that might help her assess the wisdom of her decision to reunite before her assailant has even been arraigned on the charges.
Safe Horizon, the country’s leading victim advocacy organization, keeps statistics that document the tragic numbers of these crimes, which are of epidemic proportion in America. Approximately 1.5 million women in the United States are physically assaulted each year by an intimate partner—that’s one every 15 seconds. Women between the ages of 16 and 24 face the highest rate of intimate partner violence. The American Medical Association estimates that more than one-third of all women seeking emergency medical care are survivors of domestic abuse, the leading cause of injury to women. More than four homicides each day are committed in this country by a partner or former boyfriend/girlfriend.
In the 1980s, law enforcement agencies began to develop ways to assess the likelihood of a batterer’s recidivist tendencies. These "lethality factors"—ways to predict the escalating nature of the violence inflicted on the victim—help police and district attorneys evaluate when to take the decision away from victims who declined to prosecute and move forward with a trial. We know these women's lives are in danger, often, when they choose to stay with their partners despite all the warning signs obvious to those around them.
Has anyone explored those factors with Rihanna? There are rumors that this was not the first time Chris Brown abused her. The danger assessment tools tally previous physical violence; the severity of the instant beating and the injuries sustained (severe and serious); whether choking was involved (yes); whether there were actual threats to kill the victim (yes, according to the police affadavit—a factor alone which makes Rihanna fifteen times more likely to be killed than her peers); the exposure of the perpetrator to intimate violence in his family—something Brown witnessed as a child from the ages of 6 to 13, as he has disclosed publicly. Jealousy, obsession with a partner, drug use—I can only speculate about those issues, but Rihanna knows the answers to whether each of them is part of the equation, and they figure into the assessment. Ignoring the consequences of his actions makes an abuser likely to reoffend. It’s easy to ignore the conduct when your victim forgives you, as Rihanna seems about to do. And the fact that Brown was seen clubbing in Beverly Hills until 3 a.m. the night after his first court appearance might be an indicator of his lack of remorse.
Despite decades of research, we don't know all the reasons that women stay with men who have been so abusive. Many who don't work and have no other means of support are crippled by the lack of options available to them when they try to leave. But these crimes happen in every racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic class. Some women capable of supporting themselves tell us that they love the offender so deeply that they are unable to separate, believing that his behavior will change, or that they did something to provoke the attack and bring it on themselves. In many instances, the partner apologizes and begs for forgiveness. The dynamic of power and control over his victim is reinforced and she remains in place. What is clear from the numbers is that the two most dangerous times for a woman in an abusive relationship are when she attempts to separate from the perpetrator without a successful plan, and when she is pregnant.
The assessment tools can with some degree of reliability identify victims who are at greater risk of being murdered by their intimate partners. O.J. Simpson would have scored off the charts for these lethality measures, had they been available to the people advising Nicole when she declined to prosecute him time after time. I hope Rihanna understands the deadly nature of this victimization, before history repeats itself.
Linda Fairstein, former chief prosecutor of the New York County DA's Office Sex Crimes Unit, is one of America's foremost legal authorities on crimes of violence against women and children. She is also the author of the current New York Times bestselling crime novel Lethal Legacy and a member of the Board of Directors of Safe Horizon.
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Paul Schrodt is a writer living in New York City. He has contributed to New York magazine, Radar, and Esquire.com.
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Linda Fairstein, the former chief prosecutor of the New York County District Attorney's Sex Crimes Unit, is an authority on crimes of violence against women and children. She is also the author of the New York Times bestselling crime novel Lethal Legacy and a member of the board of Safe Horizon.
Justice for Rihanna
Linda Fairstein, the former chief prosecutor of the New York County District Attorney's Sex Crimes Unit, is an authority on crimes of violence against women and children. She is also the author of the New York Times bestselling crime novel Lethal Legacy and a member of the board of Safe Horizon.
sonofloud
If she's stupid enough to stay with someone who beats her, she has no one to blame but herself.
tasty6969
you should not judge what you your self have not gone thru to know how mentaly and physicaly hard it is to leave when you are in this type of situation.
theimmigrant
So many battered women, so little time. I don't know Chris Brown, don't Rihanna. It's not that I don't care. More like why is the media so invested in this thing?
nihaomondo
She has her abuser to blame, sonofloud. Women who are abused by their partners are not stupid, they're being psychologically terrorized. I regret that your comment reflects ignorance, a 'blame the victim' mentality, and a basic lack of empathy. Shame on you.
sparhawk14
The photos of Rhianna were shocking to me. Especially when you remember that before the shot on the left, Rihanna was all dolled up and ready to go out to a very public event. Without seeing the pictures and hearing the details of the attack, I had assumed that this attack was much more tame. I hope the publicity around this helps her friends and family to provide her with the support she will need to protect herself. Too often these thugs are shielded by their victims, and others, from facing any consequences.
This article was written with true compassion for the victim. Thanks for the article.
Granite
Let me speak from experience: To the outside world it may appear that it was a fight that got out of hand. It is not. An event like this is just the tip of the iceberg.
There is a whole abusive relationship going on in which the abuser has convinced his victim that no one else wants her, that she is such a loser, AND lucky to have him. The abuser has systematically weakened all of his victim's relationships with those close to her so that she no longer trusts her friends and family.
He has made it so the only person she trusts is him, the wonderful man who she has been conditioned to believe is the only person who could truly love someone as inadequate as her.
And there is a little bit of class prejudice here as well. We expect this kind of behavior from the lower classes in society. But when a man is successful and charming we tend to view the woman as over-reacting or somehow causing it.
The only thing that sets this case apart--and baffling to most people--is Rihanna own fame and talent. Many, many other celebrities have been accused of domestic violence with a non-famous partner and those stories don't make these kinds of headlines.
For those of you who think she's stupid and deserves it, educate yourselves. This is not a simple crime. It is systematic control and abuse. The abuser needs to control someone at any cost.
It isn't merely about hitting someone.
museweaver
Because it's exploitive and that's sexy and sex sells---period.
I can't say it enough: journalism, heal thyself.
GREGORYABUTLER
I'm sure that, like most batterers, Chris Brown has convinced Rihanna that she's ugly, and stupid, and fat, and talks funny (there have been reports he's ridiculed her over her Barbadian accent) and that no man - except for Chris Brown - would want her.
Add to that the factor of a lot of his celebrity friends convincing her that his career, endorsements and image are 10,000 times more important than her life.
Remember, they reconciled while they were staying at Puffy's South Florida mansion - can you imagine the kind of psychological pressure that Puffy put on Rihanna to reconcile with that creep?
We already know that Jay-Z and Kanye West have publicly rushed to Chris Brown's defense - can you imagine what they said to her privately?
Not to mention all the pro Chris Brown postings on the hip hop blogs - many of which shockingly come from young women!
Rihanna has gotten called everything but a child of God on the blogs - and Chris Brown's vile crimes have been defended - in many cases by teenage girls!
Add to that the pressure that all Black women feel to protect Black men from incarceration - a pressure that flows from America's excessive police repression of African American men, but serves in cases like this as a shield for a batterer to hide behind.
And add to that the disturbingly common idea in society that women are the property of their partners, and that men have a right to beat the women in their lives for any reason, or no reason at all.
It is truly amazing how many people still believe that - including a lot of women.
In any case, I wish Rihanna the best...
As for Chris Brown - despite his smile and his superficial charm, I think he's scum.
I hope the LA County DA decides to prosecute, and sends him to prison for a long time.
He's famous, so he'll go to a country club jail - and I'm sure he'll use his wealth to bribe the guards and the gang leaders in the prison to buy his comfort and personal safety.
But losing a year out of his career - and all of his endorsements - and having to pay $ 500,000 or so in bribes to thugs and corrupt officers to watch his back in the joint - might make an impression on that young man.
genoftheheart
Amen museweaver! But readers will have to administer the medication via this medium. Mainstream media is completely corrupted by the profit motive, and barely concerned with the truth motive. Just look at the types of blogs that receive the most responses. I wonder if Cindy McCain went on a date last night? I wonder if Chris Brown still "loves" Rihanna? There is a lot of work to do...
StickyWicket
Nihaomono, you say "She has her abuser to blame, sonofloud. Women who are abused by their partners are not stupid, they're being psychologically terrorized"
And I agree, there is only one criminal in thsi scenario. As a woman though, she still has the power to press charges, ask for an injunction and cut this deadwood from her life (as psychologically hard as that may be.)
In her position, I am extremely concerned about the example she is setting toward her young, female fans who, potentially in a similar position, will choose to stand by their man in this way.
I wish her the strength and courage to do what's right.
G
Dreamer4Ever
There's nothing "sexy" about these kind of stories. And the reason why the media focuses on them is pretty obvious when you think about it:
It's a reason to examine our attitudes towards domestic abuse. I, for one, am amazed to see how primitive we really are in this supposedly post-feminist world.
Rihanna is young, beautiful, and rich. She projects a confidant, powerful "bad girl" image to the world. She has everything. That someone like her would be vulnerable to the normal patterns of domestic abuse and emotional battery is shocking.
And there's the matter of Chris Brown's clean-cut charm. Him? That nice young man? Him, a wife-beater? No way, she must have done something to deserve it. Right? I'm sure he just made a mistake. He'll never do it again. Right?
The fact that in 2009 we can still blame the victim for her own abuse means stories like these are good things. Anything that educates people.
genoftheheart
But most people aren't reading this story, they're reading about Chris and Rihanna "reconciling". Education is subverted in the mad media world.
Barbara416
What disturbs me is the 'engineering' of this reconciliation by the record companies and handlers of these two people. Rihanna is twice victimized to save this fools butt and the bottom line of the music companies involved.
kbrc81
You ask ''Is Rihanna the New Nicole Brown Simpson?
Is the msm trying to paint young Chris Brown as the new OJ Simpson?
The MSM's practice of sensationalizing and race baiting is precisly why many celebrities prevail in these cases and the rest is history.
writerforhire
Ms. Fairstein is obviously an authority and I'm in agreement with her comments.
My comments are with other points in her article.
Safe Horizons may be the leading organization that gathers statistics but they are, on the street level, inactive. They have a high profile following, celebrity endorsements who give their support and lend their name to a worthy cause and unless you fall into a profiled category they refuse to assist.
As a pioneer of Victim's Rights law, Ms. Fairstein, is only to aware of the process that await Victim/survivors. It is cruel and unusual punishment after surviving an attack. The Detectives, in sexual assault cases, often create victim's culpability through innuendo of consent.
The Hudson County, NJ detectives and prosecutors have intentionally stopped the investigation into what I call The Victim X case. The lead detective acts as if he doesn't even know the case. He acts like a typical abuser who assaults and then forgets all about his actions as you, the Victim, walk through the carnage of your life. The one thing both the NYPD, Hudson County, NJ Detectives and others who know the law do understand are the seven necessary factors needed to induce victims to commit suicide and Hudson County has employed every tactic.
The NYPD was involved and has intentionally lied on official documents for and this is a direct quote, "to protect the old man." Who is that "old man" Ms. Fairstein? Your lengthy tenure in the Manhattan DA would have allowed you privilege to Mr. Morganthau's thought and "deals." What alleged deals were made that have stopped prosecution on "the old man?" Why is it that certain precinct's on Manhattan upper west side allow special privileges not the wealthy or the chosen but those who claim allegiance?
Why is it that those privileges extend to rape, robbery and other violent crimes? Why is it now that those privileges extend across the Hudson and possibly wherever the intended target went? Why are corporate attorneys given a get out of jail free card and a pass to commit crime?
Everything that happened to Rihanna will happen again to some one less well known and to someone well known. It happened to Tina Turner, Nicole brown Simpson, and every minute of every day to someone some where. Until the police and detectives just don't care anymore.
This blog post won't make a difference either. Due to the fact that the attorney's are very vocal about what they got away with and the church is equally vocal about their actions and what they got away with, and that they have been given the keys to the city. The tsunami of criminal activity from Hudson County has left carnage in many lives and again the system prefers to look away and when you need to system to be equal - it won't be.
Lady Justice is blind so that those that commit the crime can get away with it.
MontereyDean
You don't need an "expert" to know that this young woman's days are numbered, and the number isn't very large. Without help, there is no hope for her. Even if she leaves the punk, she'll choose a similarly disturbed partner next time, and things will get worse. All of these so-called "experts," if they were human and actually cared about anything other than themselves, would need only three words, addressed to Rihanna: "Get help now."
Thank you.
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