Apr 27, 2018 3 min read

Domestic abuse is often a silent crime.

Victims are embarrassed to ask for help, feeling isolated and alone despite resources that could help them.

Many victims fear coming forward and pressing charges, concerned about the consequences they may face should their abuser not be jailed, or be able to post bond.

A new measure signed into law this week could help assuage those fears, and will hopefully encourage more victims to come forward.

Tierne’s Law, named for a Washington County woman killed by her husband in a 2016 murder-suicide, opens the door for judges to use risk-assessment tools when they set bail in cases that involve domestic violence.

The bill allows county president judges to adopt a risk assessment tool, used to determine if someone accused of domestic violence presents a danger to others.

If magisterial district judges or common pleas judges determine that to be the case, they can set higher bail as a measure to protect victims.

Tierne Ewing’s family pushed for the law after the West Finley woman was kidnapped and tortured by her husband before he killed her and shot himself.

Weeks prior to her death, her husband was arrested for domestic violence for beating her over a nearly 12-day period. While a district judge set a $100,000 bond, Kevin Ewing posted it.

State Sen. Camera Bartolotta, R- Carroll Township, sponsored the legislation. She called Tierne’s Law a “critical step to ensure judges can make the best decision possible when deciding whether to set bail for offenders.”

Last year, three people were killed as a result of domestic violence in Fayette County and one each in Greene, Westmoreland and Washington counties, according to the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Their deaths were among the 78 women and 39 men whose lives were taken by domestic violence, the agency reported. Sixty percent of those victims were killed by either a current or former intimate partner, PCADV reported.

In the last decade, about 1,600 people died across the state as a result of domestic violence. The number stretches across gender, age, race and socio-economic status.

As someone who has said she has a history of domestic violence in her family, Bartolotta has said she’s passionate about working to strengthen laws that will keep victims safe.

Tierne’s law is certainly a step in the right direction, and we are hopeful that state lawmakers will continue to examine the criminal justice system to further protect the women, men and children who are victims of the silent, senseless crime.

Domestic Violence Services of Southwestern Pennsylvania assists those in need of help in Greene, Fayette and Washington counties. Victims of domestic violence in Westmoreland County are assisted by the Blackburn Center.

Both centers operate 24-hour hotlines for people in crisis. DVSSP can be reached at 1-800-791-4000; the Blackburn Center can be reached at 1-888-832-2272.