October 8th / 10th
"Judge Drops the Ball on Domestic Violence"
Last week Wake Forest University basketball player Tony Woods appeared
before Judge William Reingold to confess a crime, and to receive his
punishment. The confession part went pretty well, but the punishment part, not so
much. Woods admitted to assaulting his girlfriend Courtney Lorel Barbour in
the presence of their eight-month-old son. But assault may not be the best
word to describe what the 6-foot, 11-inch Woods did to Barbour. According to
testimony, the hoops star kicked and pushed Barbour, causing her to sustain
a lumbar spine fracture. The injury also forced her to leave WFU, where
she was on academic scholarship.
Despite the severity of Woods' crime, and the resulting injuries to his
victim, Judge Reingold gave the offender a suspended 60-day jail sentence, a
$100 dollar fine, and 100 hours of community service. As soon as the
suspension was announced, women took to the blogosphere to vent their anger.
Reingold's slap-on-the-wrist ruling was an insult to women everywhere, especially to
those who are at risk of domestic violence. It also sent a dangerous
message to would-be abusers, that assaulting a woman carries no consequence.
Reingold's ruling, aside from being wrong-headed, also seems to be in
conflict with his own personal philosophy. For example, he partnered with his
alma mater on the WFU Domestic Violence Advocacy Center. yet when push came
to shove (literally), he advocated for the offender, rather than the
victim. Surely Reingold must be aware of how pervasive domestic violence is in
our country. So much so, that Donna Shalala once dubbed it an epidemic.
Research from the CDC, Department of HHS, and other sources bear that out.
It is estimated that more than 2.5 million females experience some form of
violence each year, two thirds of which are attacked by a family member.
According to the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Coalition, a
domestic violence act occurs every 15 seconds. Moreover, domestic violence is the
leading cause of injury to women between the ages of 15 to 44. In fact,
more than one million women seek medical assistance each year for injuries
caused by battering. And, every 21 days, a woman is killed as a result of
domestic violence.
Yes there are an increasing number of girls and women who falsely accuse a
man of battery in order to get revenge, or gain an advantage in divorce
court, but Tony Woods confessed his guilt, and Ms. Barbour's injuries are
real. That's why it is hard to believe that Reingold, a so-called advocate
for victims of domestic violence, would let Woods walk out of the courtroom,
instead of ordering him into prison.
But perhaps the most bizarre utterance from the Judge came not in his
ruling on sentencing, but in a statement he made to an assistant WFU basketball
coach. Walt Corbean was seated with the Woods family when Reingold asked
him to stand up. Corbean complied, and the Judge proceeded to tell the coach
that WFU should let Woods play ball, because that would provide the
violent offender with "structure". Hey Judge, doesn't having a significant other
and a baby also qualify as structure? Let's face it, a 20-year-old man is
not going to stop hitting women just because he's allowed to play
basketball or perform community service. Maybe if Woods was 14 years old, we could
still rehab him with a strong support system. But the sad truth is that a
violent adult leopard never changes his spots.
Thanks to Judge Reingold, Tony Woods now has a second chance. The question
is, to do what?
|
