| Infliction of injury is a
California domestic violence crime that takes place between
intimate partners. Intimate partners, within the gay, lesbian,
bisexual and transgender community, have children together,
are or were living together or are or were civilly united.
If an individual willfully inflicts an injury upon his or
her intimate partner, he or she faces an infliction of injury
charge, which carries a maximum four-year prison sentence
and a fine of up to $6,000.
In California, when a defendant is convicted
on any intimate partner abuse charge, which includes infliction
of injury, and is placed on probation, there are certain conditions that he or she must fulfill, one of which is participation
in a batterer’s class. These classes are either exclusively
male or female and are sensitive to culture and ethnicity.
The gay friendly attorneys at the Kavinoky Law Firm will additionally
try to find a class that is sensitive to sexual orientation
for their LGBT clients so that they may attend classes that
are supportive of a same sex relationship and where the client
will be comfortable sharing his or her experiences in a class
where the class facilitator and participants can relate to
his or her situation.
At minimum, the individual must attend a
two-hour class once a week for a year. These classes are geared
towards people who need treatment to help manage their anger
and violent outbreaks. The purpose of the classes is to help
an individual learn to walk away from a potentially explosive
situation without resorting to violence. To accomplish this,
counselors encourage the class participants to examine their
lives to better understand the reasons why they succumb to
violent outbursts. If successful, the individual learns that
he or she cannot control his or her relationships through
violence.
More specifically, the goal of the batterer’s
class is to end domestic abuse. California has established
guidelines that each class must follow in order to ensure
that all defendants receive the same education and counseling
no matter where they live. The themes that must be addressed
in every class include gender roles, socialization, the nature
of violence, the dynamics of power and control, and the effects
of abuse on children and others. Within these themes, counselors
discuss various forms of abuse including physical and sexual
abuse, emotional abuse, economic manipulation or domination,
property destruction, threats, and acts that jeopardize the
well-being and safety of children and other family members
or friends. The program addresses effective ways to communicate
in an intimate relationship as an alternative to violent expression
and will help the individual create equality within his or
her relationship.
The teachers confront their students by refuting
each individual’s justifications for his or her use
of violence within his or her relationship. They hope to eliminate
and reshape all beliefs, values, behaviors and language that
their students use to maintain power over their intimate partners.
Discussions where the individual tries to either blame his
or her partner for the violence or in any other way tries
to diminish his or her responsibility for the abuse are inappropriate
and discouraged by the class leaders. Class participants are
also taught specific techniques for achieving non-abusive,
non-controlling attitudes and behaviors.
An infliction of injury charge is a serious
matter with serious consequences. Enrollment and attendance
in a batterer’s class is only a small portion of a convicted
defendant’s probationary requirements, but it can be
one of the most beneficial if the individual takes it to heart.
The GLBT supportive criminal defense lawyers at the Kavinoky
Law Firm help their client’s navigate probationary terms
with ease and understanding. The attorneys know how to connect
their clients with batterer’s programs throughout California
that will meet their client’s individual needs. With
their compassion, they will make a difficult time a little
easier. For questions about an infliction of injury charge,
about a batterer’s class, or about any other legal matter,
contact the Kavinoky Law Firm today for a free consultation. |
