Identify, defuse domestic violence goal of Prince George's faith based event

Many communities are experiencing an upswing in incidents of domestic violence and many of those incidents involving harm to children. Prince George's County is working to try and identify and defuse the underlying causes of such violent incidents.The State's Attorney's Office will participate in a community event next month that's meant to show faith leaders how they can help to make a difference.

State's attorney for Prince George's County Angela Alsobrooks joined us Thursday to talk about the event.

She recalled several recent cases of abuse toward children by caregivers, including one where a 2-year-old was struck and killed by a mother's boyfriend after he refused to stop jumping on a sofa.

"What we really need to do is to prevent these things from happening by strengthening families. Provide resources to mothers who are otherwise not having child care options," Alsobrooks said.

She said faith based solutions are very effective. "We have 900 churches in Prince George's County. We find it is very effective to be able to support and reach families through churches," she said.

"It's not just violence among adults," Alsobrooks said. "We have to begin to talk to young people, as well about this violence, but he also have to again be able to treat some of the other conditions including mental health conditions."

You can find more about the Family Strong 5K Challenge - Domestic Violence 5K Run/Walk/Roll here: http://www.princegeorgescountymd.gov/sites/StatesAttorney/News/Pages/Family-Strong-5K-Challenge.aspx