WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett says a new Kansas domestic violence law is laudable.
But Bennett also said Thursday that what works in urban areas doesn’t always work in sparsely populated rural counties, where treatment options are fewer.
The law requires prosecutors to identify all crimes that have a domestic violence component, and mandates treatment for domestic violence offenders.
The law took effect for counties last July and takes effect this July for municipalities.
Bennett says one issue is funding.
Shawna Mobly, director of a private agency called Correctional Counseling of Kansas, says offenders who cannot pay for their treatment violate their parole and go to already overcrowded jails.
Mobly said Sedgwick County averages about 350 domestic violence cases each month.
