Ethical Practices in Domestic Violence Shelters 1

Ethical Practices in Domestic Violence Shelters:

A Look at the Center for Women and Children in Crisis
Rachel M. Kamradt
Salt Lake Community College

Ethical Practices in Domestic Violence Shelters 2

Table of Contents
Introduction
A. What is Domestic Violence
B. Why are Domestic Violence Shelters Important
Findings
Conclusions
Resolution/ Recommendations
Works Cited

I.

1
3
5
7
10
11
13

Introduction
A. What is Domestic Violence?

Domestic violence is a problem that has always been around. Defined as domestic or
family violence is the intentional use of violence against a family member, the purpose of the
violence is to assert domination, to control the victims actions, or to punish the victim for some
actions. Family violence generally occurs as a pattern of behavior over time rather than as a
single, isolated act. (Hamberger, 2014, 1) Abuse can come in many forms, often which are not
physical, and in the center is the need for power and control. All types of abuse are demonstrated
in the Wheel of Abuse Figure 1. This shows that physical abuse is only a small part of it.

Ethical Practices in Domestic Violence Shelters 3

Figure 1. Wheel of Abuse. This figure demonstrates all types of abuse. (Arbor, 2014)
It has only been in recent years that abused women have begun to have options. The
beginning of shelters, hotlines, and even laws to help solve the problem of domestic violence
didnt start to develop until the 1970s. In the early 1960s and any former years, domestic
violence was treated as a permanent consequence to marriage. If your spouse abused you
physically, emotionally, or mentally you were supposed to listen and obey. Keep it behind closed
doors, because Thats what marriage is. Battered men and women had no social support, and if
the abuse left marks, the response was snickers and hushed judgements. (Our History, 2012)
Above this, victims of violence are often already socially isolated by their abuser. This isolation

Ethical Practices in Domestic Violence Shelters 4

prevents the victims from asking for help and allows the abuser to practice more control and
dominate with rules over their spouse. (Hamberger, 2014, 1)
A movement named the Battered Womens Movement, came about in the late 1960s
with second wave feminist activists. (Our History, 2012) Women who were experiencing
violence began to speak out, and began to make the argument that domestic violence was a
widespread issue instead of an individual problem. Women started make refuges in their homes,
and starting small support groups to help each other. In 1967 Maine opened up one of the first
battered women shelters. (Our History, 2012) To understand the problem polls started being
taken. In 1968, the Harris poll interviews 1,176 American adults in October, they find that 1/5
approve of slapping ones spouse on appropriate occasions. Further studies showed shocking
results. A study in 1971 showed that approximately 1/3 of female homicide victims in
California are killed by their husbands, and In Kansas City, MO, 40% of all homicides are
cases of spouse killing. In almost 50% of the cases, police had been summoned five or more
times within a two-year period before the homicide took place. (History of Battered Women's
Movement, 2015) By 1981 there were over 500 battered womens shelters formed across the
United States. It wasnt until 1993 that marital rape was illegal in all 50 US states. (History of
Battered Women's Movement, 2015)
B. Why are Domestic Violence Shelters Important?
These laws, organizations, hotlines, shelters, and statistics are important in the fight to
stop domestic violence and help the victims who experience it. This is an important fight because
domestic violence is a public issue. Domestic violence is underreported and there isnt an easy
way to get an accurate number of victims. In domestic violence no one is safe. Victims have

Ethical Practices in Domestic Violence Shelters 5

come from all races, social classes, and religions. Current statistics can estimate and predict the
real numbers of domestic violence. According to the National Institute of Justice, over one third
(37%) of women admitted to an emergency room for violence-related injuries were abused by an
intimate partner. (Arbor, 2009) It is also estimated that one in three United States women are
physically abused by a partner at some point in their life. These large numbers cause it to be a
social problem and a national health concern with significant negative impacts on individuals
and our communities. (Arbor, 2009)
The solution to these problems is to cultivate healthy relationships. However with that
goal being far from reach, efforts to help the victims are important to break part of the cycle.
Domestic violence cultivates itself as a cycle that is hard to break. The cycle includes four stages.
The first stage is when the tension begins to build in the relationship. The second is when the
abuse happens. The third includes the abuser apologizing and begging for forgiveness, this is
often the stage when women decide against leaving the relationship. Last, the honeymoon phase
sets in and things are good until tension once again builds. (Refer to Figure 2)

Ethical Practices in Domestic Violence Shelters 6

Figure 2. Cycle of Abuse. This figure illustrates the cycle in abusive relationships. (About
Domestic Violence, 2013)
This cycle makes it increasingly difficult for a woman to leave the situation. Victims have
a lot of barriers when they are deciding whether or not to leave a relationship. One of the hardest
to deal with is a lack of resources, breaking the cycle and leaving can usually only happen with
help. This is where hotlines and shelters come into play and are very important. Shelters can be
the key to helping a victim out of their situation.
Because these shelters are so crucial to breaking the cycle of abuse, I chose to research
ethics in these shelters. The men and women who come to these shelters are in the most
dangerous part of the cycle, and are usually extremely fragile and vulnerable. How they are

Ethical Practices in Domestic Violence Shelters 7

treated and what resources they are given at shelters can influence the course of their recovery,
and whether or not they go back to their abuser. I have chosen one shelter in Utah County, Utah,
the Center for Women and Children in Crisis, to study their ethics procedures. I will examine
how the shelter admits and chooses between women, how they divide resources, resolve conflict,
and handle after care for the women. I will then recommend solutions for any unethical practices.
II.

Findings
I studied the ethical protocols and practices of the Center for Women and Children in

Crisis in Utah County, Utah, through interviews. I interviewed a night manager named Shaun,
the former case worker, Carole, and the current manager, Laurie. I also was able to observe the
day to day of the shelter through volunteering.
The first question I decided to examine was how they handle women coming into the
shelter. The only way to contact the shelter is through a hotline. You can, and someone from the
shelter will answer, and they are required to record information about every call. Not everyone
who calls is eligible to stay in the shelter, and when faced with a phone call, you never let the
person know there is room at the shelter. You first ask them about their situation, and then offer
what help and resources you can. The first question always asked is are you in danger? If the
answer is yes, you always encourage a 911 phone call. The reason for all of this screening is that
the shelter has specifications that a person mustGive qualify for to stay in the shelter. The main
criterion is that the person needs to currently be in a domestic violence situation, cannot have a
current domestic violence charge, and cannot enter the shelter doing drugs. The shelter gets
many phone calls from people who know the system, and are just homeless, or have been a
domestic violence victim before and are not currently one. These people still need help, and the

Ethical Practices in Domestic Violence Shelters 8

employees can still offer phone numbers, addresses, and ideas to those who need resources.
However, they are not permitted to offer their services to these individuals, such as the Food and
Care Coalition, or Provo Housing. When faced with a real domestic violence victim, if they have
room, they will reserve the room for two days, and the victim usually needs to find a way to get
to the shelter themselves. The address is kept confidential and will not be given out until the
victim calls and is on their way to the area. The room in the shelter is absolutely first come first
serve. The first person that calls gets a room. If you get another call right after, even if the
situation is worse, it will be reserved for the first woman. With the specification of who can stay
in the shelter, its hard to tell if someone is lying to have a place to stay. When talking to a
potential client, you try and have them tell you a small part of what is happening. There are
certain behaviors specific to victims. You can usually start to tell if their story doesnt make
sense. There are times where certain individuals slip through on lies, however, you cannot be
responsible for that because the shelter is on a high honor code system. You avoid asking too
many questions so you dont re-victimize the individual. (C. Kamradt, personal communication,
April 22, 2015)
Once a woman is in the shelter, you reserve the right to ask them to leave. There are only
twenty-five beds in this shelter, and many victims who need help. If someone isnt following the
rules, you are allowed to ask them to pack up their things. However, you do need a substantial
reason for doing so. The main requirement for asking someone to leave is if they are putting
other clients at risk. Carole Mounteer says, Our duty is to protect clientele, not specific
individuals. If one is making it unsafe for all other victims, we choose to protect the majority.
(personal communication April 22, 2015) These actions include using drugs or alcohol, or having
aggressive behaviors. Handling these situations can be hard. The shelter runs on an honor

Ethical Practices in Domestic Violence Shelters 9

system, with set consequences. The employees do not search bags, or search rooms. However, if
there are allegations from another client against someone, to protect the rights of all others in the
shelter, they need to look into it. They always ask their permission to search. Its rare that this is
denied, and if it is, the woman often leaves the shelter by herself the next few days. There are
always incident reports and files kept on every matter like that. The police and DCFS are only
involved when someone at the shelter chooses to involve them. Again, this only happens when
the safety of the other clients are being put at risk. If a woman refuses to leave, you have the
right to ask the police to escort her out. (Shaun, personal communication, April 24, 2015)
Resources come into the shelter mostly in the form of donations. The shelter has many
closets, a shed, and a separate building where some donations are kept. Sometimes theres not
enough room for everything they are given. They have all types and sizes of clothes, toys, food,
equipment, hygiene products, etc. Most of the women show up with nothing, so its important to
have these resources to give to them. When donations come in, they simply sit around the shelter
and wait until volunteers have time to sort them and find a place for them. The women often try
to look through them and take what they want. To assure that the resources are divided up evenly,
there is a rule that the women may not take something until it is put out so everyone has an equal
chance. (Shaun) However, this doesnt always happen. Certain managers have differing opinions,
or some are just more relaxed about the rules than others. The resources are handed out upon
what the woman needs when they get there, and theres also a kit given when they leave. When a
woman finds housing and leaves, shes starting over. They dont have dishes, blankets, or any
furnishings for their house. The employees will walk them around the donations and give them
as much as they need before leaving. This is decided by each persons individual needs.

Ethical Practices in Domestic Violence Shelters 10

Keeping the shelter ethical seems easy, but there are definitely gray areas, or harder
places to keep ethical. One mentioned to me by Shaun is that there are some women who you
know have a bad domestic violence case, but they put the others in the shelter in danger. You
always have women you get along with, and its hard to ask them to leave. (personal
communication, April 30, 2015) On this same matter Carole said, Sometimes their addiction
overcomes your ability to help them in that situation. I always found a treatment program for
them to go in to. (personal communication, April 22, 2015) There are also women who you
love, and want to help. You have to keep checking yourself to make sure you are being equal
to all the women. (Shaun, April 30, 2015) Shaun commented, youre not their best friend here,
youre staff. (personal communication, April 30, 2015) The last gray area mentioned was
advice. Some women want advice on what to do. As staff thats not your job. Your job
description is to problem solve with them, to find the best solution for their situation. (C.
Kamradt, personal communication, April 22, 2015)
III.

Conclusions
A recurring theme in my research was that everything is a case by case basis. There can

be guidelines for a situation, but the correct and ethical approach needs to be decided on a case
by case basis. When youre working with real vulnerable people, they all bring their lives,
opinions, actions, and feelings into the story. Nothing is ever black and white when youre
working with people.
When faced with the problem of admitting women into the shelter, you just do what feels
right. You may not always be correct, but when youve worked there long enough, youll usually
have a gut feeling about the truthfulness of the situation. Always keep in mind that if you were
lied to, they can be asked to leave the shelter. When you get a call from a non-domestic violence

Ethical Practices in Domestic Violence Shelters 11

person needing help, you stay on the phone and problem solve with them. You offer them all of
the resources you have. You never tell them what to do, you simply offer possibilities.
When there are conflicts within the shelter, the only protocol is to protect the majority.
Each situation must be handled with respect and privacy, but while not giving up with rights of
the majority. Having a second opinion on what to do can often solidify the assurance that youre
doing the right thing. You have to take each new experience and consider all of the aspects of the
situation, before coming to what you believe is the best decision for the group as a whole.
When dividing up resources, you simply give the person what they need. You dont think
about anyone else, or what they might need in the future, you take it as it comes, and give as
much as you can. The key to doing this, is to make sure that they get everything they need, that
you can give them.
For hard areas to judge, such as having a friend within the shelter, you need to constantly
be self-aware, and asking others about your behavior. You need to watch yourself, and get
feedback from the other staff around you. Being self-aware is one of the hardest things to do,
however its much easier when someone else is around to help you. Make sure to listen and love,
and give suggestions, never solutions.
IV.
Resolution/ Recommendations
The resolution to any unethical practices within domestic violence shelters is boundaries
and a good staff. Learning to set boundaries for others and yourself will be the solution. Not
allowing yourself to get to friendly with the woman, avoiding subjects such as money or religion,
and training all of the staff to do the same. If there are healthy boundaries, you can allow
yourself the space to make ethical decisions without being influenced by strong emotional ties.
Boundaries will help you follow the protocols with the women, and give them the best
recommendations on how to solve their problems. Also, having a good and trained staff with help
them check each other, and make sure that everything is running smoothly with all employees. If

Ethical Practices in Domestic Violence Shelters 12

these two things are done, I believe shelters can stay an ethical place for battered women to find
refuge.

Works Cited

Ethical Practices in Domestic Violence Shelters 13

About Domestic Violence. (2013). Retrieved May 1, 2015, from
http://ccwrc.org/about-abuse/about-domestic-violence/

Arbor, A. (2009, January 1). About Abuse. Retrieved May 4, 2015.

History of Battered Women's Movement. (2015, January 1). Retrieved May 1, 2015, from
http://www.icadvinc.org/what-is-domestic-violence/history-of-battered-womensmovement/
Hamberger, L. P., & Ambuel, B. P. (2014). Family violence and public health. MagillS Medical
Guide (Online Edition)
Lisitski, J. L. (2012, January 1). Our History. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
Our History. (2012). Retrieved May 1, 2015, from
http://www.womenagainstabuse.org/index.php/about-us/waa-history