SAN ANTONIO – – A recent town hall in San Antonio focused on domestic violence opened up a critical conversation about the challenges victims face when they seek help and the shortcomings of the system designed to assist them.
During the meeting, victims, advocates, and professionals from the criminal justice and family court systems shared their concerns regarding protective orders, prosecutions, and communication barriers between agencies and courts.
Deanna Whitley, a family law attorney from San Antonio, emphasized a significant issue: the lack of coordination between the criminal and civil sides of the legal system. She explained, “The problem I see there is not integration on the criminal side with the civil side. They operate separately. They don’t coordinate.”
Whitley pointed out that a domestic violence victim might find themselves juggling multiple legal matters at once, such as a criminal case and a civil protective order. This can create critical gaps when information from one case fails to reach the other.
“One of the reforms I would like to see is that those two systems are integrated at the magistrate level,” Whitley suggested. This would ensure that when someone is arrested, officials have comprehensive information about the individual involved.
Menéndez calls domestic violence an ‘epidemic’
State Senator Jose Menéndez, who hosted the town hall, referred to the domestic violence situation in Bexar County as reaching “epidemic levels.” He stressed that tackling this issue will require improved coordination among law enforcement, prosecutors, judges, and other relevant agencies.
“We’ve got to come together and find out where the cracks are in the system, where we have overlaps and where we can smooth out the delivery,” Menéndez said. He underlined the necessity for a cohesive system that prevents victims from feeling isolated in their struggles.
Menéndez expressed his intent to evaluate how domestic violence cases are investigated and prosecuted, as well as to improve inter-agency communication.
Push for extreme risk protective orders
In addition to these discussions, Menéndez advocated for Texas to consider implementing extreme risk protective orders, commonly known as “red flag” laws. These laws would enable judges to temporarily restrict a person’s access to firearms if they are deemed a potential danger based on certain criteria.
“Extreme risk protective orders, also known as red flag laws, are something that I think are way overdue in Texas,” Menéndez remarked. He referenced successful implementations of such laws in other states as evidence of their effectiveness.
While Texas currently has protective orders in place for domestic violence cases, Menéndez believes the system requires reevaluation. “We do have protective orders, but I don’t think, it’s obvious to me that they’re not working,” he stated, calling for a comprehensive review of the entire system.
As lawmakers prepare for the next legislative session in Austin, Menéndez has made it clear that addressing domestic violence will be a top priority. His goal is to identify and close the gaps in the system, ensuring that no family has to endure the repercussions of domestic violence alone.
