Betty Taylor CEO Red Rose Foundation
Strangulation: More Deadly Than We First Believed Betty has worked across the domestic violence sector for the past 31 years. During that time, Betty has managed front line services, developed and delivered training programs, contributed to the development of best practice policy and practice, and advocated for law reform on various issues. Betty has developed an advanced approach to domestic violence risk and safety management which has been adopted by both government and non-government. Over many years Betty has developed an expert knowledge on non-lethal domestic violence strangulation, developing training and practice approaches to address this. She has served on the Child Death Review Panel and the Domestic Violence Death Review Board. She is the CEO of the Red Rose Foundation and a founding member of the Expert Panel of the Australian Institute for Strangulation Prevention. She has been instrumental in the formation of a training and research partnership with the Training Institute for Strangulation Prevention USA. Since the handing down of the Not Now Not Ever Report in 2015 (The Special Taskforce), the Queensland Government has been on a fast track to ensure all 121 of its recommendations are implemented. This was achieved by November 2019. This is certainly worthy of applause, for a government who has taken the critical issue of domestic violence seriously. Is it now time to take stock of what has been achieved: are there still critical problems that impinge on the safety of victims that have arisen over the past 5 years? I believe there are, and none more so than in the Criminal Justice System.
“The law needs to be accessible, so that both victims and perpetrators of domestic and family violence can understand the court process and are fully supported in navigating their way through the justice system. Justice responses must be timely, effective and adapted to the complexities and sensitivities that govern the lives of those affected by domestic and family violence.� (The Special Taskforce, 2015, p. 13)
The Red Rose Foundation made a submission to the Special Taskforce around several pertinent issues including the establishment of a specific crime to address non-lethal strangulation, and the Not Now Not Ever Report (The Special Taskforce, 2015) highlighted gaps within the Criminal Code. It has been acknowledged through research and various death review reports that non-lethal strangulation is now seen as a significant indicator of future homicide and can cause serious long-term permanent health issues for victims. The offence of choking, suffocation or strangulation in a domestic setting was established under 315A of the Criminal Code (Qld) and was introduced into law on 5th May 2016. A report from the Queensland Sentencing Advisory Council (QSAC) (QSAC, 2109) shows that since May 2016 there have been 482 prosecutions for the offence of strangulation. During the same period, 2580 strangulation offences were lodged in the Magistrates Court. However, these charges can only be finalised upon indictment in the Supreme or District Courts. The research from the QSAC reveals 98.3 per cent of offenders were men.
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