Oct. 07--The impact of domestic violence can last well beyond the weeks an order of protection may be in force, or the months a convicted abuser may spend on probation, experts say.
At a media event on Tuesday, Kane County State's Attorney Joe McMahon and officials from two Kane County shelters said domestic violence can perpetuate itself for generations, as children witness and then adopt destructive behaviors and can grow to become abusers themselves.
"They become what they behold," said Maureen Manning-Rosenfeld of the Community Crisis Center.
Representatives from the Elgin-based center and from Mutual Ground in Aurora discussed their efforts in breaking cycles of violence in domestic abuse, which often involve the criminal justice system.
"We see the generational impact in this office," McMahon said.
But there is a greater cost than that incurred in the criminal justice system, and it is more difficult to quantify, Mutual Ground executive director Michelle Meyer said. The fallout leaches into health care, the school system and business productivity; it's hard for children and adults to focus on school or work when domestic abuse issues pervade their thoughts, she said.
For older children, domestic abuse can also lead to substance abuse and teen pregnancy, said Sarah Hipp, who coordinates youth programs at Mutual Ground.
Both Manning-Rosenfeld and Meyer stressed the importance of counseling in interrupting the violence cycle. And both said that the state's ongoing inability to pass a budget is making life difficult. Both agencies rely on state funding
Meyer said about a third of Mutual Ground's $2 million annual budget comes from state money. Not knowing when or if the state will provide funding makes planning impossible, she said.
"It's really scary for us. We already operate on a shoestring," Meyer said.
Manning-Rosenfeld said the inability of state political leaders to pass a budget is a "disgrace." Despite the financial uncertainty, she said, the Crisis Center is still providing services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Clifford Ward is a freelance reporter.
