Group works against domestic violence

To the editor:
    Northern New England Community Resource is a 48-week certified batterer’s intervention and education program that works collaboratively with various referring agencies to meet the batterer education needs of Aroostook County. These relationships include the Department of Corrections, Probation/Parole, District Attorney’s Office, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Battered Women’s Project and other private agencies. Currently, we are serving batterers in the communities of Houlton, Caribou and Presque Isle.
    The long-term goal of NNCR is to help reduce the number of incidents of domestic violence in intimate partner relationships throughout Aroostook County. We realize that we are only one piece of the community effort to end domestic violence. However, we believe that educating the offenders on the effects of their violent crimes on their partners, children and society will reduce the number of offenders of these crimes. Our primary goal is to provide safety for victims and their children from the crimes of domestic violence in an effort to support survivors. Within an educational framework, we hold batterers accountable both in the educational setting groups and in conjunction with the criminal justice system.
    We would like to thank all of the agencies mentioned above for their support in our effort to do this work. In addition, we would like to thank Houlton Regional Hospital, Cary Medical Center and the Presque Isle Chamber of Commerce who contributed resources that make this work possible.
    If you have any questions about the program or need more information, please call 207-694-3066.
Chuck Moody
Northern New England Community Resource