Do you agree with my classmate discussion question below.

1 Classmate Question: I think a great way to educate people on how severe domestic violence is to be more aware of the signs that someone is being abused. So that you might be able to help someone who didn't ask for your help, one of those ways is to let them know about the death statistics behind someone who didn't seek help. It may encourage them to remove themselves from a particular situation. More punishment for domestic violence crimes could also be an option. But an individual abusing someone because of his psychological disorder may not seek the proper help they need, which can make matters worse for the person. But at the same time, it might also save the life of the victim. Domestic violence is widely prevalent. More than one in three women in the United States (37 percent) and more than one in four men (31 percent) experience sexual violence, physical violence, or stalking perpetrated by an intimate partner during their lifetime.

2 Classmate Question: I think that educating society regarding domestic violence as a public health issue needs to occur at every level of our society. We need to be educating our children on relationships, domestic violence and what is acceptable behavior (and what is not) in a relationship or family (Addelman, 2013). This needs to occur at school where there is the most ability to educate the greatest number of adolescents. The message can be adjusted depending on the age of the audience. However, by high school, it is clear that students have the capability to understand what domestic abuse is and why it is a public health issue. There also needs to be public awareness campaigns targeting prime time television educating the public on common misconceptions about domestic violence and showing the results such violence has on our society (Steps To End Domestic Violence, n.d.). Another area where targeted education is required is within the police force and other first responders. If we can get those who respond to domestic abuse better educated about the reality of domestic violence, its origins, its impact on society, the common misconceptions about perpetrators etc. then there will be better support for those suffering from domestic abuse in our society (Holmes, Kohl, Brensilber, & Kaufman, 1995). Finally, health care professionals also need special training on how to identify the potential for domestic violence and avenues they can utilize if they suspect it in a patient. The more we can create awareness in society at all levels about the prevalence, dangers and long term effects of domestic violence the more we can hopefully reduce the number of domestic abuse occurrences.

3 Classmate Question: It is sad that we as a society tend to punish the children of prisoners for their parents crimes when in reality, these children are just as much victims as the victims of the crimes the parent has committed. These children are particularly vulnerable as they have little emotional, or financial support and may be either sent to live with grand parents or relatives, or put into the foster care system if there is no parent left that is able to take care of them. I think that in order to raise social justice standards for children of prisoners, we need to start by removing the stigma attached to having an incarcerated parent or parents. This means acknowledging to children when their parent is in prison, educating children and the broader community about this stigma, why it is unjust and what can be done about it and providing services that address the effects that having a parent in prison has on these children. Supporting such children would include psychological treatment to address potential Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and emotional support, a social worker for social/emotional support and economic support to address the financial strain that exists when a child has one or both parents in the prison system. Programs that could assist with providing social and emotional support are social programs that bring together children who have parents in prison so that they can be around other children who know what they are going through, equipping guidance counselors and social workers in the school system to support these childrens educational and emotional needs and providing education for the children themselves about what to expect when they have a parent who is incarcerated. (Bulow & Lindblom, 2020)

4 Classmate Question: Unfortunately, incarceration affects children traumatically, especially when they are at a certain age where they need to be nurtured and taught things. Even if a child has two parents and has become more attached to the one who has been incarcerated, the physiological effect can strongly impact their growth. For children, the impact of this separation can be quite traumatic, especially considering that they may be unaware of their parent's condition, their location, and when they can expect to make contact with their parent again. This lack of knowledge can produce high anxiety, PTSD-like symptoms, bad dreams, and other negative experiences for children of incarcerated parents (Austin, 2013). Communities can provide more outlets for children going through the issues to let them know they are not alone. For instance, they could provide financial help for existing parents who depended on the other parent's income to sustain living conditions, offer programs that cater to people in the same situations, and uplifting tactics and role models for the children. Those programs will make them feel like they have somebody who understands what they are going through and take their minds off the abandoned feelings.