Bringing science to bear on domestic violence

Careful research makes for more effective interventions for women at risk from intimate partner violence, according to the keynote speaker at a major Law School conference on the issue.

Catherine Cerulli ’92, former director of research for SUNY Buffalo Law’s Women, Children, and Social Justice Clinic, detailed several research studies that have been done on domestic violence and showed how such research helps to establish best practices in the field. Cerulli currently directs the Susan B. Anthony Center, a research institute at the University of Rochester.

The conference, called Intimate Partner Violence: The Ripple Effect of Education, Research and Advocacy, was held at Samuel’s Grand Manor, in Clarence.

Cerulli spoke of the process of “therapeutic jurisprudence” such as the workings of Family Court, saying that those who are called to administer justice need support in that work. “When we ask people to put on the black robe of Family Court,” she said, “we ask them to be extraordinary heroes – superheroes. We are asking them to see through the lies, know the enemy and protect the weak from evil, all the while enforcing the laws that are dictated to them. We expect them to use their wisdom to do their best, and they do a phenomenal job.

“But many of them express to me this little feeling on the inside, a red flag sometimes, that they cannot articulate. They will not have a basis for their concern or something they can hang their hat on to articulate their decision that they’ve made. We can work better, we can work smarter, and we can help judges do their job better.”

To do that, she said, takes “community-based participatory research,” such as a major study in Rochester – a joint effort of the Law School, the University of Rochester School of Medicine and the courts – to examine whether the domestic violence section of the court system is working effectively. The result, she said, was six “primary findings” which have led to procedural changes in the court system that have improved the lives of those who come seeking relief and protection from domestic violence.

“I believe that policy should be based on science, practice and resources,” Cerulli said. “What does the data tell us, what’s really going on at the grass-roots level, and what money is there? If we can better combine these three elements, with science as our basis, we can improve our courts tremendously.”

Another study looked at how often perpetrators and targets of partner violence thought about or attempted suicide. The results prompted creation of a mental health clinic in the court building, providing screening for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, and even cognitive and behavioral therapy for those struggling with insomnia.

The immediacy of that treatment is crucial, Cerulli said: “Some of these women have taken three buses to get to court. If we tell them that they’ve screened positive for depression and give them an appointment three days from then, they’re not going to take another three buses to get there.

“Individuals come to us in the Family Court system with broken hearts,” she said. “They come because they need our help. We are the guardians of their hope, sometimes for a day, sometimes for a week, sometimes for a few months and sometimes, sadly, for a few years. We have to do better by partnering with researchers to use the scientific evidence at our disposal to do the best job we can.”

Cerulli’s address followed morning appearances by two advocates who study intimate partner violence: Leigh Goodmark, professor at the University of Baltimore Law School and author of A Troubled Marriage: Domestic Violence and the Legal System; and Aruna Papp, a Canada-based advocate and expert on the challenges of global diversity in addressing domestic violence. 

The conference continued with an afternoon symposium organized by Hon. Lisa Bloch Rodwin ’85, a Family Court judge, and other members of the New York State judiciary to celebrate the 50th anniversary of New York State Family Court.

Also announced at the conference was the establishment of two awards to support student work in the area of intimate partner violence. The Suzanne E. Tomkins Women, Children, and Social Justice Advocacy Fellowship will be given annually to a student to pursue advocacy on the issue during summer or the academic year. The Catherine Cerulli Women, Children, and Social Justice Research Award will provide funding annually to a student who has worked on a clinic project and needs assistance to present that work at a conference or to publish the research findings.

“Both Sue Tomkins and Kate Cerulli are visionaries,” Professor Susan V. Mangold, co-director of the Program for Excellence in Family Law, said in announcing the establishment of the awards. “They predict the issues that are coming down the pike and help our community develop a response that becomes a model for the state. They’ve brought those models to Russia, Ukraine, Brazil and other parts of the world. … We wanted to make a fitting tribute to Sue and Kate’s work, to honor them, to honor their work and to honor the ongoing work of the students under their mentorship.”