The first lady of Maryland, Katie O?Malley, associate judge of the District Court of Baltimore City, knows too well domestic violence?s reach and impact. For speaking out on the need for judicial training on domestic violence and reform within the criminal justice system, O?Malley was asked by the House of Ruth to be among the 26 subjects honored in A Line in the Sand, a photography exhibit on display at Baltimore?s Gallery Imperato.
Is there one subject in A Line in the Sand that?s stayed on your mind?
The portrait of Kate Wood looking down at a picture she?s holding of her daughter gave me the chills. [Wood?s daughter died in Wood?s arms after being shot in the head by her ex-boyfriend.]
What?s the most difficult domestic abuse case you?ve presided over?
I do have memories of victims who were being abused when they were pregnant. Those always stick with me as well as when abuse occurred to children. Abusers double-victimize the woman or man being abused when the children have to hear the abuse [taking place] and worry about it. I?ve heard [cases where] children were pulling off an offender from a victim.
Do you think it?s more useful to determine why people are abusive or to concentrate on what we should do with them after they abuse?
You have to look at every aspect. A judge?s sentence can include an option of probation on the condition they attend and complete the House of Ruth?s Gateway Project program, where the abuser looks at the factors that go into his or her abusing. … It?s common for an offender to have low self-esteem, be very insecure and jealous. It?s good to try to identify those traits and have them figure out why they?re like that, but it?s also good to have the tool of incarceration. Sometimes we overthink it too much.
