#DomesticViolence - a Therapeutic Court in #NorthCarolina is Created by The Honorable Ola M. Lewis

1. BPW/NC
Virtual
Club
Presents
an
Innovator
in the
World of
Domestic
Violence
Photo credit: Judge Ola M. Lewis
The Honorable
Ola M. Lewis
Senior Resident
Supreme Court Judge
Brunswick County
North Carolina
Creator of the
Domestic Violence
Therapeutic Court
October 19, 2015
8:00PM – 9:00PM

6. Domestic Violence Month (October 2015)
The Honorable Ola M. Lewis, Speaker
FLEMINGTON ACADEMY CELEBRATES SECOND GRADUATING CLASS
June 19, 2015
Lake Waccamaw, NC – Flemington Academy celebrated the accomplishments of the Class of 2015 during the Commencement
Ceremony held Tuesday evening in the Kochititzky Gymnasium at the Catherine V. Powell Educational Center.
Assistant Director Tracy Coston presented the distinguished senior award to Crystina Marie Ansell for exemplifying “exactly what
we want our Flemington Eagles to be.”
Ansell later issued a challenge to the underclassmen.
“Take advantage of all the opportunities offered at Flemington Academy,” she said. “You are responsible for your own success.”
The ceremony included a performance by the Flemington Academy Chorus before a keynote address by Senior Resident
Superior Court Judge for the 13B Judicial District Ola M. Lewis.
“The power to master your circumstances is within you,” said Lewis. “Within you is a giant to help you make your dreams come
true. You are the master of your fate. You can and will be successful in life. The keys to success are what you learned here.”
Lewis specifically referenced the Flemington Academy motto of “Connection, Compassion and Character” during her remarks to
the graduates.
“You must use your connections,” she said. “Use your compassion to dig a little deeper. Use your character to never give up.
Make the sacrifices to accomplish your dreams.”
Dr. Tom Simmons, director at Flemington Academy, also challenged the students to use what they learned in school to make
their dreams come true.
“Aristotle said that excellence is not an act as much as it is a habit,” said Simmons. “I want you to use what you learned here at
Flemington Academy to make excellence a habit.”
Following the turning of the tassels, the Class of 2015 enjoyed a reception with family and friends sponsored by the Civic Club
Committee of the Board of Trustees for Boys and Girls Homes of North Carolina.
About Flemington Academy
Flemington Academy is a North Carolina Public Charter School that educates middle and high school students. Located on the
Lake Waccamaw campus of Boys and Girls Homes of North Carolina, the academy provides a tailored academic experience to
students in need of a more specialized, integrated curriculum. Flemington Academy was founded on personalization in
education, unique offerings and educating through purposeful design. Enrollment is open to any student in grades six through
12.
Picture, article from: http://www.boysandgirlshomes.org/News/Flemington-Academy-Graduation-2015

7. Domestic Violence Month (October 2015)
The Honorable Ola M. Lewis, Speaker
BRUNSWICK COUNTY (WWAY) — A $975,000 federal grant will help a Brunswick county court
program keep going.
The county is the only one in the state to get the grant.
The money will fund drug treatment courts to help people with substance abuse and mental
health issues. Judge Ola Lewis runs the program and says the money will benefit the entire
community.
“We will be able to expand services to the community through increased treatment modalities,”
said Lewis. “We will also provide transportation expenses to and from treatment.”
Lewis says the treatment program sees about 135 participants each year.
Watch video here: http://www.wwaytv3.com/2015/10/15/brunswick-county-court-program-
receives-federal-grant/
10.15.2015
Picture, article from: www.wwaytv3.com
BRUNSWICK COUNTY COURT PROGRAM
RECEIVES FEDERAL GRANT
Congratulations, Judge Lewis!

8. Domestic Violence Month (October 2015)
The Honorable Ola M. Lewis, Speaker
By: Phillip Bantz August 12, 2015
Brunswick County Superior Court Judge Ola Lewis has won the heart of a domestic violence defendant named Pollo Collazo – and
her husband’s not too happy about the development.
Apparently, Collazo was so thankful that Lewis placed him into a therapy program that he got her first name tattooed on his neck.
“According to this young man, he got the tattoo because I was instrumental in changing his life for the better,” Lewis said. “Since
he’s gotten the tattoo he looks in the mirror every morning and does no wrong for the entire day.”
She added, “How true that is, I don’t know. But it makes for a good story.”
Collazo covered up the tattoo by wearing a collared shirt when he appeared in Lewis’ court, she said. But a probation officer later
texted her a photo of the tribute. Afterward, Lewis said she contacted the Judicial Standards Commission and asked whether
Collazo could continue to appear in her court.
“I was informed that as long as I did not encourage him to get my name tattooed on his neck or order him to do anything like that
it would not pose a conflict,” she said. “I also told him that this was not a get-out-of-jail-free tattoo and I have since ordered other
defendants not to follow suit.”
This was the first time that the Judicial Standards Commission had received a report about a defendant tattooing a judge’s name
on his or her body, Lewis said. She told the story to a group of judges from around the country who gathered in Washington
recently for a convention on therapeutic courts and said they also had never heard of anything like this happening before.
Lewis’ significant other was not impressed.
“I can tell you my husband’s not happy with it. Not at all,” she said. “But the D.A. reminded me that it could be worse. He could
have had it tattooed some place else.”
While speaking on the phone with Lawyers Weekly, Lewis pulled Collazo’s file (she deals with many defendants and was unsure
about the charges that led him to her court) and seemed taken aback by what she found.
He’d been arrested for assault by strangulation on a female and fleeing to elude arrest.
“How scary!” Lewis said. Then she laughed uncomfortably. But she later added that Collazo is still participating in the therapy
program and “happens to be doing quite well.”
If anyone was wondering, Lewis said she doesn’t have any tattoos.
“I grew up with a command sergeant major,” she explained.
Phillip Bantz, Staff Writer, North Carolina Lawyers Weekly, South Carolina Lawyers Weekly
Telephone: 910-791-3320 @NCLWBantz @SCLWBantz phillip.bantz@nclawyersweekly.com www.nclawyersweekly.com www.sclawyersweekly.com

10. Domestic Violence Month (October 2015)
The Honorable Ola M. Lewis, Speaker
North Carolina Department of Justice

11. Domestic Violence Month (October 2015)
The Honorable Ola M. Lewis, Speaker
North Carolina Department of Justice
DomesticViolence
RelatedHomicides
byCounty
(committedonor
after1.1.2013)

12. Domestic Violence Month (October 2015)
The Honorable Ola M. Lewis, Speaker
North Carolina Department of Justice
Domestic
ViolenceRelated
Homicides
MonthlyTotals
2008-2013

13. Domestic Violence Month (October 2015)
The Honorable Ola M. Lewis, Speaker
NATIONAL STATISTICS
Every 9 seconds in the US, a woman is assaulted or beaten.12
On average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States.
During one year, this equates to more than 10 million women and men.1
1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have been victims of [some form of] physical violence by an intimate partner
within their lifetime.1
1 in 5 women and 1 in 7 men have been victims of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their
lifetime.1
1 in 7 women and 1 in 18 men have been stalked by an intimate partner during their lifetime to the point in
which they felt very fearful or believed that they or someone close to them would be harmed or killed.1
On a typical day, there are more than 20,000 phone calls placed to domestic violence hotlines nationwide.9
The presence of a gun in a domestic violence situation increases the risk of homicide by 500%.10
Intimate partner violence accounts for 15% of all violent crime.2
Women between the ages of 18-24 are most commonly abused by an intimate partner.2
19% of domestic violence involves a weapon.2
Domestic victimization is correlated with a higher rate of depression and suicidal behavior.2
Only 34% of people who are injured by intimate partners receive medical care for their injuries.2
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence

14. Domestic Violence Month (October 2015)
The Honorable Ola M. Lewis, Speaker
NATIONAL STATISTICS
RAPE
1 in 5 women and 1 in 71 men in the United States has been raped in their lifetime.1
Almost half of female (46.7%) and male (44.9%) victims of rape in the United States were raped by an
acquaintance. Of these, 45.4% of female rape victims and 29% of male rape victims were raped by an intimate
partner.11
STALKING
19.3 million women and 5.1 million men in the United States have been stalked in their lifetime.160.8% of
female stalking victims and 43.5% men reported being stalked by a current or former intimate partner.11
HOMICIDE
A study of intimate partner homicides found that 20% of victims were not the intimate partners themselves,
but family members, friends, neighbors, persons who intervened, law enforcement responders, or
bystanders.3 72% of all murder-suicides involve an intimate partner; 94% of the victims of these murder
suicides are female. 8
CHILDREN AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
1 in 15 children are exposed to intimate partner violence each year, and 90% of these children are
eyewitnesses to this violence.5
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence

15. Domestic Violence Month (October 2015)
The Honorable Ola M. Lewis, Speaker
NATIONAL STATISTICS (CONTINUED)
ECONOMIC IMPACT
Victims of intimate partner violence lose a total of 8.0 million days of paid work each year.6
The cost of intimate partner violence exceeds $8.3 billion per year.6
Between 21-60% of victims of intimate partner violence lose their jobs due to reasons stemming from the abuse.6
Between 2003 and 2008, 142 women were murdered in their workplace by their abuser, 78% of women killed in the
workplace during this time frame.4
PHYSICAL/MENTAL IMPACT
Women abused by their intimate partners are more vulnerable to contracting HIV or other STI’s due to forced intercourse
or prolonged exposure to stress.7
Studies suggest that there is a relationship between intimate partner violence and depression and suicidal behavior.7
Physical, mental, and sexual and reproductive health effects have been linked with intimate partner violence including
adolescent pregnancy, unintended pregnancy in general, miscarriage, stillbirth, intrauterine hemorrhage, nutritional
deficiency, abdominal pain and other gastrointestinal problems, neurological disorders, chronic pain, disability, anxiety and
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as noncommunicable diseases such as hypertension, cancer and
cardiovascular diseases. Victims of domestic violence are also at higher risk for developing addictions to alcohol, tobacco, or
drugs.7
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence

16. Domestic Violence Month (October 2015)
The Honorable Ola M. Lewis, Speaker“FamilySecrets”,
aplayby
Dr.BeverlyBoone
Please double click on image for video to play. Internet service is required.

17. Domestic Violence Month (October 2015)
The Honorable Ola M. Lewis, Speaker
Batterer Intervention Programs, A Guide to Achieving Recommended Practices
(www.councilforwomen.nc.org)
North Carolina District Courts’ Answer to Domestic Violence (Best Practices
and Judicial Training)
North Carolina Department of Justice, Report on Domestic Violence Related
Homicides, 2013
FBI Preliminary Semiannual Crime Statistics 2013
Safety Plan, North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence
Resources

18. Domestic Violence Month (October 2015)
The Honorable Ola M. Lewis, Speaker
Defeating Domestic Violence; New Solution Coming Soon To Buncombe County
North Carolina Domestic Violence Best Practices Guide for District Court Judges
North Carolina Domestic Violence Advocates & Support Contacts (by County)
Sin by Silence
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
Resources, Continued

19. Domestic Violence Month (October 2015)
The Honorable Ola M. Lewis, SpeakerCouncilforWomen
DomesticViolence
CommissionBoard
Members

20. Domestic Violence Month (October 2015)
The Honorable Ola M. Lewis, Speaker

21. Domestic Violence Month (October 2015)
The Honorable Ola M. Lewis, Speaker
Marsha Riibner-Cady, President
North Carolina Business and
Professional Women

22. Domestic Violence Month (October 2015)
The Honorable Ola M. Lewis, Speaker
Virginia Adamson
BPW/NC Virtual Club Task Force

23. Domestic Violence Month (October 2015)
The Honorable Ola M. Lewis, Speaker
Vilma Betancourt-O’Day
BPW/NC Virtual Club Task Force