In his third-quarter report to the Town Council, Town Prosecutor Mark Iacovino lauded the council for declaring October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and provided a perspective on the issue from the local Magistrate Court. Mayor Ginny Dickey made note of the report during her State of the Town address on Jan. 17.

“We were pleased to hear that on Oct. 2, 2018, the Fountain Hills Town Council unanimously declared the month of October to be “Domestic Violence Awareness Month,” Iacovino wrote to the council. “The family-friendly Town of Fountain Hills is in no way immune from the plague of domestic violence and experiences many more instances of family violence than most might think.

“During the first eleven months of 2018, the Town Prosecutor’s Office handled nearly 50 domestic violence cases [the numbers for December, when instances of domestic violence tend to increase with the holiday season, had not yet been received].”

Iacovino noted that number represents only those cases that were reported and where an arrest was made.

“For the Town Prosecutor’s Office, every month is ‘Domestic Violence Awareness Month,’” he said. “During 2018, we saw all shapes and sizes of domestic violence cases: husband upon wife; wife upon husband; boyfriend upon girlfriend; girlfriend upon boyfriend; parent upon child; child upon parent and sibling upon sibling.

“While every one of these cases arise from different and unique circumstances, there are certain common threads that tend to run through most domestic violence cases.”

Those commonalities include alcohol abuse, a need for control within a relationship and modeled behavior.

Iacovino said an unscientific estimate by his office indicates that 85 percent or more of these cases involve alcohol abuse on the part of the defendant, the victim, or both.

“It is also apparent that many, if not most, domestic violence offenders witnessed such behavior in their homes at a young age, leading to a misguided belief that violence is an acceptable means of dealing with intra-family issues,” he said.

Iacovino said his office places a high priority on domestic violence cases.

“We look closely at the circumstances of each individual case, speak frequently with the victims and do our very best to seek sentencing terms that address the underlying causes of violence within families.”

Iacovino added that those sentencing terms, depending on the circumstances of the case, generally include mandatory attendance at a domestic violence counseling program, participation in substance abuse treatment, protective orders for victims and other family members, jail time to be suspended upon good behavior and/or completion of counseling and, in many cases, actual jail time.

“While it is extremely difficult to impose changes on deeply ingrained behaviors of other people, we do all we can to resolve domestic violence cases in ways that facilitate such change,” Iacovino said.

“Rarely do we see defendants return to court with a second or subsequent domestic violence case, so it would appear that our local criminal justice system is working in most cases and is effecting positive change in the lives of many Fountain Hills families.”