Following the 21 domestic violence deaths in 2007, The Frederick News-Post asked some of the county's key stakeholders in combating the crimes to offer their thoughts on how we, as a community and a society, could move forward to reduce domestic violence. (Responses edited for grammar and style).

Over the last 30 years we've come a long way in changing attitudes and awareness about domestic abuse, providing more services and securing more legal protections for victims. Nonetheless, we can still improve our comprehensive response to domestic abuse to provide better protection and safety for victims while holding their abusers accountable.

Domestic abuse is a serious crime and should never be minimized as a "domestic dispute." We need to expand the public's awareness of the gravity and dangers posed by domestic abuse including the seriousness of psychological and emotional injuries; abuse is "more than bruises and broken bones." More men and boys must be engaged in the effort to challenge the socio-cultural messages that perpetuate domestic abuse.

Increased funding is needed for domestic violence programs in Maryland to improve 24-hour hotlines, shelters, counseling, and advocacy services. Additional funding is needed for services that foster self-sufficiency, such as transitional and permanent housing, employment assistance, transportation, child care, and health care. Access to legal representation for protective and peace orders and family law matters is equally vital.

The Domestic Violence Lethality Assessment Program, which identifies victims who are at the greatest risk for serious injury or lethality, should be expanded beyond law enforcement to include anyone who encounters victims in the course of their daily work. We need to establish Fatality Review Teams in jurisdictions where there are none to improve the response to domestic abuse.

In the justice system, we need to hold abusers accountable by imposing immediate and certain criminal sanctions, including criminal stay away orders, bail revocation, enforcement of violations, and incarceration, and provide more effective supervision of offenders.

The legislature must strengthen firearms laws to ensure that abusers do not have access to or possess any firearms so that volatile situations do not become more violent. Legislators must also improve protective orders by extending their length and changing the standard of proof.

Domestic abuse must be a primary consideration when making custody and visitation determinations in the best interest of the child. Judges can also order more supervised visitation in protective order and custody cases, and communities must establish more supervised visitation centers.

An effective comprehensive response can empower victims by diminishing their trauma and restoring their self-confidence, self-determination, and self-sufficiency while holding abusers responsible for their actions. Better training and cross-training for all segments of the community is certain to help us accomplish this.