The Nation's First State Domestic Violence Coalition - Founded 1976 | PCADV

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The Nation's First State Domestic Violence Coalition The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence (PCADV) is a private nonprofit organization working at the state and national levels to eliminate domestic violence, secure justice for victims, enhance safety for families and communities, and create lasting systems and social change.		Important Information for Utility Customers with PFAs David and Lucile Packard Foundation FREE Communications Guide Are We There Yet? A Communications Evaluation Guide is a new publication of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation that offers a step-by-step guide to assessing the effectiveness of a communication plan as it is implemented. The 40-page guide includes a worksheet for determining goals, objectives, audiences, baselines, questions, measures, techniques, and budgets. Download the guide Legislative Action Alert Your actions and insight help PCADV remain the premiere advocate against domestic violence. The PCADV Advocacy and Legislative Center: provides you with Relevant Bills so you can stay up to date on current issues. helps you identify who your Elected Officials are and how to contact them.
Featuring sessions focusing on: Examination of 31 deaths in 31 days in PA Fatality Review Process Strangulation Fatality Case Study Safe Custody Exchange Safety Planning Danger Assessment Firearms Relinquishment Children of Murdered Parents Space is limited! General conference information and workshop descriptions Registration form All speakers listed have been confirmed - others have been invited and will be added to materials as confirmed. Please check back for updates! For more information, contact Nancy Durborow at 800-932-4632. Impact of the Economy on Domestic Violence Recent bad economic news has prompted numerous media inquiries about the link between between the downturn in the economy and a rise in domestic violence. While there is no research or data to make the case that recession, unemployment or empty bank accounts directly cause domestic violence, we do know that these stressful circumstances often exacerbate situations where domestic violence already is a factor. Many programs in PA and around the country attribute their overflowing shelters and waiting lists to the financial hardships currently confronting victims and their abusers. Domestic violence advocates are gravely concerned for the safety of battered victims and their children who now have fewer options and resources as the abuse escalates and the funding for local domestic violence programs dwindles. Related Information and News Articles 121 PA Domestic Violence Deaths in 2007 PCADV publishes this report in an effort to convey the lethality of domestic violence and the stunningly brutal manner in which perpetrators kill and victims die right here in this Commonwealth.	Translate this website into another language Statement on Chris Brown sentence Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence joins with other state domestic violence coalitions and the National Network to End Domestic Violence in expressing our disappointment over the disposition of Chris Brown´s case. As the result of a plea agreement, Chris Brown pleaded guilty to felony assault against then-girlfriend, Rihanna, but will receive no jail time. He will, however, have 5 years of supervised probation and he must stay at least 50 yards away from Rihanna at all times, unless the two are at an industry function in which case he must stay 10 yards away. In addition, Brown must enroll in a domestic violence counseling program and perform 180 hours of community service - most likely doing things like road cleanup - in his home state of Virginia. Unfortunately, this is yet another instance in which a domestic violence perpetrator is given the opportunity to plea-bargain his offense to avoid incarceration. The fact that the prosecutors in the case said this punishment is typical of similar offenders speaks to the larger problem - not just in California, but across the country and here in the Commonwealth - of downplaying the severity of domestic violence. We call upon prosecutors and courts to ensure that perpetrators of domestic violence receive serious consequences for their violent acts. Punishment that includes jail time and strict supervision are appropriate responses to the violent assault on a loved one. U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Restrictions on Guns for Domestic Abusers The U.S Supreme Court rejected arguments by convicted domestic abuser Randy Edward Hayes and the gun lobby that federal law allowed Hayes to possess firearms. The Court cited arguments made by the Brady Center about the risks posed by firearms in the hands of domestic abusers. The 7-2 ruling in United States v. Hayes was a blow to gun lobby groups that had urged the Court to severely narrow the federal Lautenberg Amendment that bars gun possession by abusers convicted of misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence. For more information, please visit The Brady Campaign Web site. Related Coverage On target: The Supreme Court protects domestic abuse victims - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 3/3/2009 Preemptive Strike: Domestic violence suspects should be forced to relinquish their weapons - The Washington Post, 2/28/2009 Editorial: Gun Sense and Nonsense - New York Times, 2/27/2009 Editorial: Gun Control - Philadelphia Inquirer, 2/27/2009 Court upholds decision in gun revocation case - Erie Times News, 2/26/2009