This testimony was authored by SLU Law and Grassroots Advocacy student Amanda Ivie, a third-year law student concentrating in health law. Her interests include public health policy and improving access to care through legal and regulatory frameworks.
Amanda submitted the following testimony to the House Committee on Children & Families in support of House Bill 187, the Missouri Survivor’s Justice Act.
Chair and Members of the Committee:
My name is Amanda Ivie, and I am from Sullivan, Missouri. I am a law student at Saint Louis University School of Law and a student advocate with Missouri Appleseed. I respectfully submit this testimony in support of House Bill 1872, the “Missouri Survivors’ Act.” This legislation is an important and necessary step toward modernizing Missouri’s response to domestic violence by ensuring that courts can consider the realities of abuse when making sentencing decisions.
In Missouri, nearly 50% of women have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV), a reality that underscores the need for sentencing practices that reflect the full context of abuse. Despite this, courts often do not fully consider the role that abuse plays in shaping a defendant’s conduct, and many survivors of IPV are sentenced without their experiences being meaningfully taken into account.
HB 1872 offers a measured and practical solution to this gap. It allows courts to consider whether domestic abuse was a substantial contributing factor to an offense and creates a process for resentencing in appropriate cases. Survivors are often criminalized for actions taken in response to ongoing abuse, including actions connected to survival or self-defense, yet those circumstances are frequently overlooked. At the same time, the bill includes important safeguards. Relief is not automatic, individuals must present corroborated evidence of abuse, and judges retain discretion to determine whether a sentence reduction is warranted.
This legislation also addresses the reality that many individuals are currently serving sentences imposed under outdated legal frameworks that did not reflect modern understanding of trauma, coercive control, or post-traumatic stress. New York, Oklahoma, and now Georgia have passed and adopted similar reforms, reflecting a growing recognition that accounting for the impact of abuse leads to more just outcomes without compromising public safety.
HB 1872 promotes fairness and proportionality while maintaining accountability and protecting public safety. For these reasons, I respectfully urge this committee to support and advance HB 1872. Thank you for your time and consideration.
