Register Now for our Webinar - "Identifying The Dominant Aggressor From The Perspective Of Survivors"

Identifying The Dominant Aggressor From The Perspective Of Survivors

October 24,2023

10:00 AM PST/1:00 PM EST

“It’s not always as simple as one person having power and control over another with the aggressor only using physical force. Sometimes it is one person trying to exert power and control over the other with force and the other is using force to fight back.”

- Dr. Ellen Pence (1948-July 6, 2012)

With this in mind, it becomes challenging for Law Enforcement to arrive on a scene and find both parties with injuries and their own versions of what took place. Law Enforcement is then asked to identify a Dominant Aggressor.

Strangulation impacts all professionals working on sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking cases, in particular. Today, we know unequivocally that strangulation is one of the most lethal forms of domestic violence. Unconsciousness may occur within seconds and death within minutes.

Did you know that at least 50% of the time strangled victims will have no visible injuries from being strangled while their assailants will likely have visible injuries from victims trying to defend themselves up to 65% of the time? One strangulation study found 13 out of 20 suspects (stranglers) had injuries upon examination, including scratch marks to their face and hands. (Harm, 1981).

During this 90 minute webinar, Casey Gwinn, Michelle Morgan, and Joyce Bilyeu will discuss lessons learned, best practices, new research, and resources available for family violence and sexual assault professionals. This webinar is designed through case studies to provide ideas on how to identify the Dominant Aggressor. The unique challenges of non-fatal strangulation assaults that may leave only minor to no visible injuries are discussed along with factors to be considered.

Identifying the true dominant aggressor is never an easy task in any domestic violence case. Professionals cannot rely on visible injuries alone. There are at least 10 important factors to consider – join us to find out more. This webinar will help professionals identify the dominant aggressor not only in domestic violence cases but also non-fatal strangulation cases in particular.

Cost: FREE!

Hosts

Casey Gwinn is the visionary behind the Family Justice Center movement, first proposing the concept of the Family Justice Center framework in 1989. Casey is a national expert on domestic violence, strangulation assaults, childhood trauma, and the science of hope. Prior to founding the Alliance, Casey was the elected San Diego City Attorney.

Michelle Morgan has been a victim advocate for over 21 years and has dedicated her career to meeting the needs of those that have experienced violence. Under the leadership of Fort Worth Police Department and Safe City Commission Inc., Michelle led the planning and development effort of One Safe Place, Tarrant Regional Family Justice Center creating one of the largest and most comprehensive Family Justice Center’s in the world. She serves as the Vice President and Director of the One Safe Place Tarrant County. Michelle has a Bachelor’s degree in Social Science with Criminal Justice and a Master’s degree in Management with Public Administration from Texas Wesleyan University.

Joyce Bilyeu is the Deputy Director of the Sacramento Regional Family Justice Center (SRFJC). Prior to her work at the SRFJC Joyce worked as the AmeriCorps Training Manager for the Child Abuse Prevention Council (CAPC) of Sacramento for 14 years. She has more than 39 years of experience in providing direct services to victims of domestic violence and other victimizations. Since 1981, she has developed training curricula and provided training on the dynamics of Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, Human Trafficking, and Child Abuse prevention.

Panelists

Yvonne Harrison is a survivor of interpersonal violence with a passion to create change by turning her tragedy to testimony. After being wrongfully accused then exonerated of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, she shares a culmination of intimate and uniquely curated personal experiences on her website www.fillmycup.net. In 2020, she also co-founded a web-based resource, www.twogirlsandanapkin.com to help her community understand the many faces of domestic violence and to provide a voice for victims. As an SVP in Finance, she strongly believes that stopping the cycle of isolation is the first step to healing; shame no longer resides when stories are told in safe places.

Yolanda Torres was born and raised in Sacramento, CA, but moved for three years to Guadalajara, Jalisco during my teen years. She received her BA in Social Science and Ethnic Studies and her Master’s in Social Work at Sacramento State University. She currently works at the Sacramento Regional Family Justice Center as a Social Worker and a supervisor for MSW Interns.

Yolanda is a survivor of domestic violence involving strangulation. She is one of the founding members of the Sacramento Family Justice Center’s Voices group. She also started the first Spanish-speaking support group for survivors of domestic violence.

As a domestic violence survivor herself, she has found her calling in the work that she does with other survivors at the Family Justice Center. She works with many survivors who are victims of domestic violence, and they are identified as the dominant aggressor by law enforcement and ultimately arrested. This practice adds another experience of trauma to the client.

Yolanda loves helping her community heal and better themselves. Her multicultural background and Spanish interpreting skills assist her in reaching out to our diverse population in the community of Sacramento.

Karyn J. Johnson, a Northern Dame turned Southern Belle, is originally from the Midwest but has resided in Nashville, Tennessee, for almost seventeen years. She is a graduate of Tennessee State University, where she received her bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication, and Vanderbilt University, earning her master’s degree in Liberal Arts and Science. The recipient of the Survivor of the Year award in 2021 from the Nashville Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Karyn volunteers with VOICES through the Metropolitan Nashville-Davidson County Office of Family Safety.

A writer and former spoken word artist, Karyn, speaks out against domestic violence to show women how they can be Wonder Woman for themselves and turn their tragedy into a triumph. She hopes to inspire women to rediscover themselves and use their past as a steppingstone to something greater. Karyn is currently writing a book regarding the sexuality of older Black women, to be released in late 2022. She also has created The Superhero in Me Workshop for women to renew themselves through various writing and self-care techniques.

This project is supported all or in part by Grant No. 2016-TA-AX-K067 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.