Mike Collins: “This one is one that, from many perspectives--and we talked about this a little bit earlier in this debate. Especially…”

“This one is one that, from many perspectives--and we talked about this a little bit earlier in this debate. Especially when it comes to the alternative justice issue here, we understand the concerns for the victims and need to be a part of that, but this is something prosecutors across the country have opposed. And, in fact, the National District Attorneys Association points out in a letter today: While this approach may work successfully in other types of situations, we lack sufficient information on potential downsides of bringing a batterer into the same room with a victim in order to conflict-resolve what is considered a crime of violence. {time} 1900 They go on to say that: A philosophy of putting the ability to consent to this kind of program on a victim's shoulders is misplaced and may result in unintended consequences to the victim, such as safety concerns. The prosecutors are among the people that utilize the beneficial tools of VAWA the most, and they are on the front lines of combating the violence against women. I don't think that we should ignore that. I think when we are looking at this, as I said earlier in this debate today, anyone who does this is a criminal. If they do this to people, stalking, domestic violence, all this, they are criminal actions, and I do not want to take that away from this. The victim should be cared for. The victim should be nurtured. The victim should be able to come forward in that process.…”