eSANE: Domestic Abuse & Civil Legal Considerations
Objectives: Define domestic abuse and power and control dynamics, define coercive control and how to identify it, understand and recognize the cycle of violence, and understand now to recognize intimate partner violence and consider safety within all aspects of decision-making.
Trainers: Tracey Decker, JD & Krista Heeren-Graber, BSW, MS, LBSW, SD Network Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault
Domestic abuse including power and coercive control dynamics will be defined and explained specifically in the context of separation, divorce, and child custody matters when domestic abuse is alleged. Family law attorneys will become informed of what to look for and how to articulate it with a common understanding of what the terms mean. This information could lead to safer outcomes for families.
Tracey has practiced law in South Dakota since 2000 after graduating from the USD School of Law in 1999. She has spent much of her career prosecuting violent crimes in Pennington County, including thousands of domestic violence cases. Tracey began providing law enforcement trainings in 2005 as part of a training team with the SD Network Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault. Those trainings address the mandatory domestic violence requirements for law enforcement certification. She has worked as an attorney and consultant for the SD Network since 2023.
Krista graduated from the University of Sioux Falls with a degree in social work and psychology in 1987. In 1992, she received her graduate degree from SDSU in Counseling and Human Resources. She has spent her entire career working within the domestic and sexual violence field. The first twelve years of her career was spent in a variety of roles at Children’s Inn in Sioux Falls with her last two years as Operations/Acting Director. Krista has worked at the SD Network Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault since 1999 as the Executive Director. She provides training and consultation addressing intimate partner violence and violence through the lifespan. She is adjunct professor at the University of Sioux Falls teaching two social work classes- domestic violence and social policy.
This training is hosted by CPCM under Grant No. 2019-MU-GX-K014, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations in this document are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
