New S.C. bill targets early indicator of deadly domestic violence

A bill just pre-filed ahead of South Carolina’s General Assembly could help prosecutors better target domestic violence abusers before their cases turn deadly.

Experts say the act of strangulation is a leading indicator that a victim is in extreme danger. Advocates have been fighting for change for years in South Carolina.

“We know that in cases where strangulation is present, there is an increased risk of homicide for those survivors,” Joan Harris told Channel 9′s Glenn Counts.

Harris is with Safe Passage, a non-profit in Rock Hill that helps abuse victims. She’s thankful that a bill has been introduced in the legislature targeting strangulation.

“I think it’s really important to bring awareness to this issue,” Harris said.

The bill would clearly define what strangulation is, and it would also increase the penalties. For example, an abuser who is under a protective order and strangles a person or uses a ligature would get an extra three to 10 years in prison — that’s in addition to any other sentence they may receive.

“I’m always happy to hear that our legislature is thinking about survivors and thinking about how to protect people from violence,” Harris told Counts.

For now, the bill doesn’t spell out any kind of training requirements for officers, but Harris thinks that’s absolutely necessary.

“I think if they can provide them with some additional training, some additional resources to help them to better understand strangulations and how it relates to violence and the ability for it to lead to a homicide I think that would be ideal,” Harris said.

North Carolina has had a law like this in place for several years now. The Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention says South Carolina is the only state that hasn’t yet passed a law specifically targeting strangulation.

The bill was pre-filed this month, but there’s no word on when any action will be taken on it.

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