Sin by Silence Blog

The Debate Over Chris Brown

Jun 24th, 2009 In: Director's Notes Violence in the News By: admin Comments 0

Chris Brown has avoided jail time by pleading guilty last week to his vicious, and very public, attack on Rihanna.  As a result, he will now have to enroll in a domestic violence course, as well as, do 180 days of community work.  Is that enough?  Is that too little?  Is the porridge too hot or too cold?   Let’s hear from what the experts in the domestic violence field have to say about the issue since the media is now turning to these people for their reactions…

Rita Smith, Executive Director of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, said Brown’s sentence is typical for first offenders – a problem since it might not be harsh enough to stop future attacks.  “I don’t think it’s enough of a consequence,” she said. “If we give them a break, we give them a shorter sentence or less consequence, it basically just says this wasn’t such a big deal.”

“Even Paris Hilton got more jail time!” National Organization for Women President Kim Gandy said in a statement.  “Young girls and boys watching this unfold on TV will see that men who commit violence against women practically go scot-free.”

Patti Giggans, Executive director of Peace Over Violence, thinks Brown should get some credit for owning up to the crime.  “I think there was something refreshing about seeing a celebrity admit guilt. We don’t see that often,” she said.

My opinion is that it is sad that we still have to have a debate on the categories of sentencing for abusive behaviors.  It’s 2009, people!  Why do I feel like this is the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears as we take our sweet old time making decisions about porridge or the comfort of a bed.  I only wish that these situations were as simple as in the fairy tale.  But, these are lives that we are debating.  These are women’s identities that are being taken away.  These are our own daughters and sisters who cannot even rely on a justice system making a solid and standard decision.  It just makes me want to scream at seeing the lack of foundation towards domestic violence in our justice system while lawyers get to put on their goldilocks and prance through the courtrooms testing the comfort levels for their clients.

Yet, I do have to remind myself that Chris Brown did plead guilty.  He is going to have to invest some quality time on the consequences of his actions.  But, it also reminds me that we haven’t come as far as I had hoped since the days when the women of Sin by Silence were going through their own abusive relationships.  There is still this grey area of debate with the issues of domestic violence.  Yet, I hope we begin to make some more progress…before the three bears come home to look at the mess we’ve made!