OPINION: Today kicks off Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Domestic violence (DV) is an umbrella term for all kinds of physical and sexual violence as well as harassment, intimidation and trafficking. While domestic violence can affect anyone, women are overwhelmingly impacted and make up the vast majority of victims. As members of the Idaho Legislature, we are aware that Idaho incarcerates more of its female residents than any other U.S. state. And while we believe that all those who commit criminal acts should be held accountable, we cannot shake the sad reality that almost every woman behind Idaho bars is a domestic violence victim. That is why this month is an important time to talk about the relationship between DV and incarceration. 

For almost every woman in our jails and prisons, their path to incarceration represents a pattern that began with DV. Indeed, these women’s personal stories possess frustrating and sad similarities. Take Stephanie Taylor Thompson from Idaho Falls. Her story is a good example. 

At age 12, she was sexually abused by a family friend. She reported the abuse but her abuser was not criminally charged and remained free. At 14, she was groomed into a relationship with a 34-year-old man who became her trafficker — controlling her through exploitation and violence, and forcing her into a world of drugs. Stephanie was forced to serve as a drug mule, transporting narcotics from California to Idaho. When she resisted or tried to escape, she was sexually abused to pay off drug debt. 

For all this victimization, she never received the victim services or support she needed and deserved. So it is hardly surprising that when she was 19, Stephanie was arrested in connection with a drug trafficking operation she had been forced to participate in. 

Stephanie’s story is highly illustrative. Like Stephanie, the vast majority of our female inmates are incarcerated for drug-related crimes. Like Stephanie, the vast majority of our female inmates were physically or sexually abused prior to their first arrest and, also like Stephanie, most of Idaho’s female inmates were sexually abused before they turned 14. 

Fortunately for us, Stephanie’s story didn’t end in prison. After years of incarceration, she found redemption through her faith, recovery through counseling, and a sense of purpose in sharing her story to help others. She now uses her experience to advocate for those still trapped in the cycles that led her to prison. Stephanie’s life is a testament to resilience but it’s also a reminder of how many of Idaho’s women we could do better by. 

When you hear about Stephanie’s path to and through the justice system it makes you wonder: What is our vision for justice in Idaho? Do we want to do better and, if so, how? 

Domestic Violence Awareness Month is a great time to start having these conversations. Better yet, you can help. In all of our communities, there are women who have been abused and many of them are struggling to maintain lives for themselves and their children that stay within the bounds of the law. This month, consider helping them — or an organization that helps them — before the types of instability these women face worsen and lead, sadly, to drug-related criminal acts. 

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Josh Wheeler (District 35) and Chris Mathias (District 19) are Idaho state representatives.