dailu nebraskan
monday, October 9, 1978 lincoln, nebraska vol. 102 no. 25
Wife beating result of todays visible violence speaker
By Shelley Smith
Wife beating is acceptable in today's
society because of an increasingly violent
culture, according to an authority on wo
men's studies.
Irene Frieze, associate professor of
psychology and women's studies at the
University of Pittsburgh, told about 70
people Friday afternoon that she felt wife
beating is acceptable today because
violence is becoming visible.
Frieze's speech was a part of the Women
in Science Career Symposium, and was
geared to inform the listeners of the
situations of women who are beaten in the
home, and to better understand their
problems.
Frieze said throughout history, wife
beating has been acceptable to society.
In Roman times, men felt an obligation
to discipline women, and enforced this
discipline violently, she explained.
She said today, this idea is still some
what in effect and presented several
examples of record albums with beaten
women on the cover.
"It's appalling to think that these
pictures of violence sell records. It proves
that wife beating is still accepted."
Opinions on causes
Frieze said there are several opinions
about why wife beating occurs.
She said one opinion is that the battered
wife provokes her husband into violence.
While this isn't a popular societal belief,
many battered wives feel this is true, Frieze
said.
"Many explanations are 'He thought I
was cheating on him', or i yelled at him',
or 'I embarrassed him in front of his
friends.' "
Frieze also said battered wives may
want to be beaten because they feel they
are the cause of marital problems, and
should be punished.
The battered wife is the least likely to
attribute the violence of her husband, but
most often the husband is at fault, Frieze
said.
"This is true because many times he has
a drinking or severe emotional problem
that causes him to react violently to his
wife," she said.
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Photo by Bob Pearson
What's going on here? This unidentified youngster checks out the lunch habits of sheep at the eighth annual "Kid's Day"
on East Campus. Sponsored by the Block and Bridle Club, the event is designed to orient city grade school students with
farm animals. The event was at the Judging Pavillion where students from 16 different grade schools were able to get into
the pens and discover the animals.
She also said she has found that if the
husband beats his wife, he is very likely to
beat his children.
Wives refuse to leave
A wife could have been abused for a
long period of time but still feel it is an un
stable process, and refuse to leave their
husband, Frieze explained.
"Many stay because they thought he
was in a bad mood when he hit her, or that
it would just go away with time.
"But, the beatings can go on for a
period of ten years, with the last reported
incident last week. This is not temporary
violence," she said.
Battered wives may refuse to leave be
cause they are afraid to try.
"Many husbands threaten their wives if
they try to leave. It scares them, and so
they stay."
She added that many wives are
financially dependent on their husbands
and lack the needed support to leave.
Studies done on battered women show
that 84 percent attempted to leave, 78 per
cent left and 69 percent went back again,
Frieze said.
A battered wife may be more apt to
leave her husband if she could admit that
the violence is his fault, and not hers, she
said.
Environmental conditions
Frieze also listed environmental condi
tions as a possible cause of wife beating.
She said if a family is subjected to poor
living conditions, or dependent on welfare
and social security, they may feel depress
ed to the point where violence relieves
their frustrations.
There are known cases in which the wife
reacts violently to her husband, but said
this is usually in self-defense, she said.
"He may come at her, and she pushes
him and he falls and hits his head."
She said that violence between husbands
and wives is difficult to cure.
Therapy is given individually because
the treatment is different for each partner,
she said.
With the husband the goal is to first
teach him how to control his temper.
She said he is given support and taught
how to handle situations without resort
ing to violence.
The wife is given assertiveness training
to teach her how to understand the cause
of her husband's violence towards her, and
help her handle problems by dealing with
these causes, Frieze explained.
Pre-trial diversion criticized, but director backs purpose
By Val Swinton
The jury is stil out on the worth of the
Lancaster County Pre-trial Diversion
program, but its director, Eric McMasters,
insists the city and county should continue
funding the project.
After two years of operating on a
federal grant, the city and county agreed
to fund most of the project expenses this
year, but there is opposition to pre-trial
diversion, especially among police and
prison officials.
Pre-trial diversion is a program which
allows a person convicted of a crime, if
it is the person's first felony or misde
meanor, to enroll in a program of counsel
ing and community service. If that person
successfully completes the program, the
charges are dismissed.
Last summer, while the debate continu
ed over whether local funds should be used
to keep the program in operation, Lincoln
Police Chief George Hansen and Pat
Rackers, city corrections coordinator, led
opposition to the project, insisting the
middle-class defendant is catered to, that
the program is not cost -efficient and that
it impedes law enforcement.
System 'offended
"The criminal justice system tends to
be offended when pre-trial diversion is
discussed or implemented," McMasters
said. "They don't consider different ways
of doing things very often."
McMasters insists that pre-trial diversion
is a more humane way to handle first time
offenders. "Pre-trial diversion tries to set
up a situation where a person can earn his
dismissal," he said. "We try to set up a
positive approach. The criminal justice
system is a negative approach."
McMasters said only first time felons or
persons commiting their first misdemeanor
can enroll in the program. He said the
person has to achieve certain goals, such
as employment, more education,
vocational training or drug, alcohol or
mental health treatment. The person, if
he or she is financially able and the crime
warrants it, must make restitution. The
person can also get involved in community
service projects, or they can enroll in a
class at die pretrial diversion center.
The type of program, McMasters says,
depends on the individual. When the indi
vidual successfully completes the program,
the charges are dropped, and the accused
maintains a clean record.
"The biggest payoff," McMasters said,
"is to the individual who participates in it.
He doesn't get off. But, he isn't over
criminalized either."
Part of the criticism concerning pre
trial diversion is the inconsistencies in
volved in who gets accepted to the pro
gram and who doesn't.
The county attorney has final say over
who is enrolled in pre-trial diversion, and.
according to McMasters, that decision is
normally based on a recommendation from
his office. But, the criteria for enrollment
standards give the county attorney a lot
of leeway. For instance, McMasters said
drug dealers normally are not eligible,
unless a prosecutor in the county
attorney's office feels the sale was "casual
or incidental." Also, the accused must not
have an established pattern of criminal
behavior. Mc Master's says that too, can
cause inconsistencies.
Cornhusker accepted
A situation involving a former UNL
football player is a good case-in-point.
Earlier this year, Monte Anthony, a Corn
husker fullback, was charged with selling
cocaine and marijuana to an undercover
agent. He was admitted to the program, a
move which caused much criticism from
opponents of pre-trial diversion. But
County Attorney Ron Lahners defended
Anthony's admittance, saying he was not a
serious drug dealer.
McMasters admits that in previous years,
the program was "overevaluated," and
more money may have been spent than
was needed. But, he said his office is
working on a budget reduction so that
for the fourth straight year, the budget
will be less than it was the previous year.
McMasters said a recent study revealed
about the same number of persons who
enter, but not necessarily finish, the diver
sion program commit subsequent crimes
as those who go through the criminal
justice system.
Those figures, McMasters says, con
stitute a good reason to continue the
program. "If the people you convert don't
do any worse," he says, "then why submit
people to the full criminal justice system?"
inside monday
As Smokey the Bear looks on: Part
of Tomlinson Woods is turned
into firewood page 6
Spinning the vinyl: Records are
deteriorating in quality . . . .page 8
Like a white tornado: Huskers spoil
Cyclones' third-in-a-row victory
hopes page 10
