Scared To Leave, Afraid To Stay Paths From Family Violence To Safety

by Goldstein, Barry

• ISBN13: 9781931741088
• ISBN10: 1931741085
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-01-01
• Publisher: Robert Reed Publishers

Summary

What is it like for a woman to leave the man who is abusing her? This book presents the stories of ten women as they fought the courts and their abusers to gain safety for themselves and their children. The author demonstrates how courts handle divorce, custody, visitation, support, child abuse, marital property, orders of protection and crimes when domestic violence erupts. He also discusses the common tactics abusers use to maintain control over their partners. The average abused wife makes seven attempts to leave her abuser. Each time she learns more about the resources available. By providing information about how to leave someone who is abusing you, this book makes it easier for women to escape. The brave women described in Scared To Leave, Afraid to Stay all faced serious hardships and threats, but they found there can be a better life. None of them ever chose to go back to a life of violence.

Author Biography

Barry Goldstein has practiced law in New York since 1978. He served on the Board of Directors of My Sisters' Place, one of the leading domestic violence agencies in the country for 14 years, including four years as Chairperson. As a result, many domestic violence agencies have referred clients to Mr. Goldstein because he is one of the few lawyers with expertise in domestic violence and because of his willingness to take cases on a pro bono or reduced fee basis. Mr. Goldstein has also worked with the Community Change Project of the Volunteer Counseling Service in Rockland County, New York since January of 1999 teaching domestic violence classes for men who have been convicted of domestic violence crimes.

Table of Contents

Introduction From Sunday to Every Day	1	(8)
Part I THE CASES
Courage
The Brewster Case	9	(14)
The Believers
The Wong Case	23	(26)
The Price of Safety
The Thomas Case	49	(12)
Abuser Strategies
The Delgado Case	61	(14)
Recovering from Sexual Abuse
The Boyd Case	75	(16)
The Custody Card
The Horowitz Case	91	(26)
Gender Bias
The Pollack Case	117	(20)
Marital Rape
The Kowalick Case	137	(12)
The Best Interests of the Father
The Morgan/Richardson Case	149	(12)
Justice Denied
The Jensen Case	161	(14)
Part II COURTING DISASTER
Enlisting the Courts in the Fight Against Abuse
The Harm of Domestic Violence	175	(4)
The Issues	179	(28)
Child Support
And Other Financial Issues	197	(10)
The Players	207