This article discusses domestic violence and abuse. If you or someone you know has been assaulted, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 for free, 24/7 support. You can also call RAINN’s national sexual assault hotline at 1-800-656-4673 for confidential support.
MADISON, Wis. — Marlys Howe has spent the last two decades in the Dane County District Attorney’s Office supporting victims of domestic abuse and their families.
Howe is the manager of the Domestic Violence Unit. The office gets more than 2,500 referrals a year.
“This is the probably the most important, traumatic event they’ve ever had,” Howe said. “You’re going through all of that with them.”
She walks survivors and families through the criminal process. Because Wisconsin has mandatory arrest statutes, sometimes criminal proceedings are against a victim’s wishes, but have to be pursued under state law.
Howe fell into this work. She started off volunteering in shelters. It took her years to find her footing in the field.
“I remember just thinking … ‘I’m inadequate. I’m not good at this. This isn’t going to be for me, no, I cannot speak to women who come in, who have been horribly beaten up. I just don’t have a reference for this world,’” she said. “But I understood unhealthy relationships.”
She has two domestic violence homicide trials coming up.
“I remember the first homicide I ever worked, and the verdict came back, and you’ve been entrenched with these people for a year,” Howe said. “You turn around and they’re all gone. They’ve left the building, because it’s their tragedy, not yours.”
The newest report from End Abuse Wisconsin shows 96 people in our state died as a result of domestic violence in 2022. That’s 16 more than the year before.
When asked if anything has improved over the last 20 years, Howe said she believed there was more awareness but is afraid the loss of federal dollars will derail the progress made.
“We all hope there’s a day that I don’t have this job. I don’t want to do this job,” she said. “I think the awareness is out there more. I think people know that there are resources out there. But I say that knowing that … 70% of the federal dollars are being cut, we know that’s coming.”
She said if anything, she’s seeing people experience trauma that’s more intense than when she first started in the field 30 years ago. Trying to change that is what keeps her coming back to work every day.
“You’ve made a difference today, whatever that means,” Howe said. “You’ve made that difference for that person. That’s why you can get up the next day and do this work.”