Spanish-speaking Probation Officer Helps Victims of Abuse

COURT HOUSE — Si habla Ud. Español, y está sufriendo de abuso, tiene una amiga en la Oficina de Servicios Familias de Corte Superior aquí.
(If you speak Spanish, and are suffering from domestic abuse, you have a friend in the Family Services Division intake unit here.)
Grace Marin, originally from Chosica, Peru, is a Probation Officer in the Family Services Division of Superior Court here who handles intake of domestic violence complaints. Fluent in Spanish and English, she told The Herald that in the last year she’s handled approximately 50 cases involving persons who spoke little or no English.
“Most only speak Spanish,” she said. “Some do have some English but feel much more comfortable in Spanish,” she said.
Marin is the first officer a victim of domestic abuse, who does not speak English, will see upon coming into the county courthouse here with a complaint of domestic violence; she also handles non-Spanish-speaking intake.
The individuals she’s counseled through the system come mostly from Puerto Rico, she said. Only a few are Mexican.
The New Jersey Attorney General’s recent order to local and state police to enforce the immigration laws when arrests are made would not likely affect her litigants, she said, as these are individuals who are victims, filing a complaint, not defendants under arrest. She does not have anything to do with immigration enforcement, she said, and when a new complainant comes into the office seeking a restraining order, providing a social security number is optional.
What about those who might hesitate to file a complaint against an abuser for fear, not of the abuser, but of involving him or herself with law enforcement, out of concern that their immigration status might not be all that it should be and their continued presence in this country would be in jeopardy?
Marin said it is likely there are individuals in the community who fall under the radar because of that catch-22 situation.
Contrary to preconceived notions, most of the cases that require her Spanish skills involve middle-income, working-class families.
“I’ve never seen anyone struggling [financially]” she said. “These are middle class people raising a family.”
Perhaps not surprising is that substance abuse often goes hand-in-hand with domestic abuse.
Marin said drugs and alcohol factor into these cases quite often, but between the two, alcohol abuse is the most frequent problem associated with domestic violence, in her experience.
Not all the victims suffering from abuse are women.
“You don’t see a lot of males come in here, but there are some,’’ she said.
Marin interviews these individuals when they walk in the door, helps them file their complaints with the court, explains the process to them, and answers any questions as they progress through the criminal justice system. She views her job as one of encouragement and support.
She interned in Atlantic County Superior Court last year after graduating with a degree in criminal justice in Atlantic County. She’s been with the Superior Court system for one year now. She is a U.S. citizen; she and her parents have been in this country for 10 years.
“I always wanted to work with people — to help out,” she added.
The job of seeing individuals every day who are in dysfunctional, abusive relationships can be disillusioning for some, but Marin said that she finds the work challenging and satisfying. Asked whether it was difficult to work constantly with people who are in fear of abuse from a spouse, boyfriend, girlfriend or other family member, she thought for a moment.
“I want to say that it gets to me, but after being here a year, you learn to appreciate the lifestyle that you have and how you grew up — how you were raised. These people have had huge challenges in their lives,” Marin said.
“You’re on the front line,” she said. “I like to give people encouragement for simply walking in the front door.”
Contact Avedissian at (609) 886-8600 Ext 27 or at: savedissian@cmcherald.com