Rainbow House receives a grant from the Leon H. and Clymene M. Bond Foundation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 13th, 2021
“October is Domestic Violence Awareness month, and the timing of the Bond Foundation’s support of our agency couldn’t be better”, says Courtney Olson, Executive Director. Rainbow House Domestic Abuse Services received a $12,750 grant from the Leon H. and Clymene M. Bond Foundation. This grant supports the expansion of our Oconto Secure Digital Imaging Forensic Evidence camera collaboration with Law Enforcement.
Strangulation has been identified as one of the most lethal forms of domestic violence and sexual assault: unconsciousness may occur within seconds and death within minutes. When domestic violence perpetrators strangle their victims, not only is this felonious assault, but it may be an attempted homicide. Strangulation is an ultimate form of power and control where the batterer can demonstrate control over the victim’s next breath: it may have devastating psychological effects or a potentially fatal outcome.
Responding Oconto County Law Enforcement Officers ask each victim a series of eleven questions, known as the Lethality Assessment Program (LAP) when called to the scene of an act of domestic violence. In our community, over 40% of victims surveyed indicated that their partner has strangled them. While strangulation is one of the few automatic felony charges in domestic violence cases, it’s difficult to prove. That changed this year, when Rainbow House responded to this local problem by acquiring a Secure Digital Forensic Imaging camera. Officers have been trained, and the District Attorney is working with a Forensic Nurse Examiner as Expert Witness to testify in such cases.
The Bond Foundation grant further enhances our system offering an encrypted online data system. Unlike a crime scene that can be taped off and held for forensic photographers, forensic nurse examiners and officers must take legal court-ready digital pictures of living individuals. This means there’s a limited amount of time to collect and capture evidence that resides on the victim or their clothes. The sensitive nature of these pictures demands the highest level of security, beyond what is typically expected. This grant allows for the expansion of our system, so that court evidence is permanently and securely stored.
“We are so grateful for the Bond Foundation”, said Associate Director Jessica Honish. “We could not accomplish our mission without such strong community support”.
For more information on how to help someone experiencing domestic violence, please visit our website at www.therainbowhouse.us or follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RainbowHouseDomesticAbuseServices/ Help us available 24/7 at
(715) 735-6656 (crisis line) or (906) 290-9081 (text) line). All services are free and confidential.
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PO Box 1172, Marinette, WI 54143 (800) 956-6656. 1530 Main St, Marinette, WI 54143 (715) 735-6656 fax: (715) 735-7293 1008B Pecor Street, Oconto, WI 54153 (920) 834-5299 fax: (920) 834-5330 www.TheRainbowHouse.us
