Here. An excerpt:
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is hitting domestic violence abusers in their pocketbooks.
People convicted of domestic violence-related charges must now pay a $1,000 fine, in addition to other penalties handed down by tribal court. Tribal council approved of the measure at its meeting last week.
“We are hoping this will make them stop and think,” said Iva Key, the Eastern Band’s Domestic Violence program manager. “A lot of these are repeat offenders,” Key said later.
Money collected from the fine will be split 50-50 between services for victims of domestic violence and other tribal initiatives such as education.
A possible downside to the fine, however, is the financial hardship it might cause, especially if a family is trying to reunite and rebuild after an incident of abuse. Not everyone has $1,000 of disposable income, which means that money cannot be spent on necessities for the family.
Turtle Talk 