Interview with Mary Lynn Houlihan, July 21, 2010

Interview Summary

T.K. Logan interviews Mary Lynn Houlihan, the Director of Victim Services for the Fayette Commonwealth Attorney's Office, about her life, career, and experience as a victim advocate for domestic violence and stalking survivors. Houlihan discusses common misconceptions about stalking and abusive behaviors, her earlier careers in financial advising and child protection for the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS). She goes on to talk about weaknesses of the criminal justice system vis a vis domestic violence, the importance of inter-agency cooperation to successful prosecution, and the vital role safety planning plays in keeping survivors safe. Houlihan closes the interview by talking about how some perpetrators are able to abuse survivors from inside prison even after a conviction and gives her advice to victims of stalking and domestic violence.

Interview Keyword

Office of Victims Advocacy Victim services Domestic violence Tracking technologies Stalking behaviors Isolation Manipulation "Criminal justice system" Victim advocates Commonwealth Attorneys Stranger stalking Sentencing Probation Self-medication Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) Child Protective Services (CPS) University of Kentucky UBS Financial Services Inc. Financial advising Ray Larson Commonwealth Attorney Ray Larson Detective Jeremiah Harville

Interview LC Subject

Abused women--Services for--United States Intimate partner violence. Stalking Stalking victims Victims of crimes--Services for--United States Fayette County (Ky.) Abused women--United States Family violence--United States. Child welfare--United States. Control (Psychology) Abused women--Legal status, laws, etc.--United States Criminal justice, Administration of--United States. Prosecution--United States--Decision making Prisons--United States Jails--United States.

Interview Rights

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Interview Usage

Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.