Efforts by state agencies, local organizations work to curb domestic violence in Kentucky

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – Anthony Nichols will have another preliminary hearing in Jefferson County court Friday on murder charges.

Nichols is accused of killing Arica Brown and dumping a her body in the Ohio River. He had a lengthy history of domestic violence charges against the her.

“We were outraged. We were very disappointed and very concerned,” Tammy Taylor, the Center for Women and Families Communications Director, said.

Many times, even survivors who take steps to protect themselves are still at risk.

In this case, Brown had a protection order against Nichols which he violated twice.

“They’re going to do everything they can to gain access to that person and cause harm to them,” Taylor said.

Earlier this year, Kentucky’s Attorney General’s office released an updated Domestic Violence Prosecution Manual as a resource for victims and attorneys.

Attorney General Russell Coleman says he will ask lawmakers for more deterrence laws for repeat offenders.

“So that we can give prosecutors more tools in their toolkit in the domestic violence space to better protect victims to deter this conduct on the front end,” he said.

However deterrence alone is not always enough.

“You have to hold the person accountable for what they have chosen to do,” ZeroV Chief Legal Officer Meg Savage.

Meg Savage and the team at ZeroV have worked to do just that – supporting parts of legislation like House Bill 5 that now make it easier to increase penalties.

While there’s no shortage of words on paper meant to crack down on domestic violence in Kentucky – those laws can often fall short once they are in effect.

“It’s just a case of making sure that they’re enforced consistently and uniformly across the state, which often doesn’t happen,” Savage said. “You can get really widely different results from one county to another.”

“We have to work together – federal, state, and local more effectively to get better outcomes,” Coleman said. “The releases, the lack of accountability, the lack of incapacitation results and lack of deterrence and we’re seeing this play out on our streets.”

As Kentucky addresses these issues, Taylor says it’s important victims have avenues like the Center for Women and Families to Turn to.

“Pick up the phone and give us a call,” Taylor said. “We can provide free safe confidential services to assist you.”

To get help from the Center for Women and Families, call 1-844-237-2331.

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