R Street Testimony in Support of HB 989, Missouri Survivors’ Act
Testimony from:
Lisel Petis, Senior Fellow, R Street Institute
Testimony in Support of HB 989: “An Act to amend chapter 557, RSMo, by adding there to five new sections relating to sentence departures due to domestic abuse, with a delayed effective date” (Missouri Survivors’ Act)
March 26, 2025
Missouri House Judiciary Committee
Chair Parker, Vice Chair and sponsor Reuter, Ranking Minority Member Smith and members of the House Judiciary committee,
My name is Lisel Petis, and I am a policy director at the R Street Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy organization dedicated to practical solutions that promote free markets and limited, effective government. My work centers on criminal justice and civil liberties, and I come to this issue not only as a researcher, but also as a former prosecutor and the former executive director of a victim services agency where I worked firsthand with survivors of domestic and sexual violence. I have seen how often the justice system fails to account for the full context of abuse. That is why I strongly support House Bill 989 Missouri Survivors’ Act, which gives courts the tools to make more informed, balanced sentencing decisions relating to cases that involve domestic abuse as a substantial contributing factor.[1]
More than 41 percent of women in Missouri have experienced intimate partner violence.[2] For some, after years of threats, violence, and fear, survival instincts take over and they act to protect themselves or the ones they love. In Missouri, where domestic violence remains a persistent and deadly issue, this is tragically understandable.[3] Yet all too often, the justice system responds to these survivors primarily with punishment rather than protection and tools for healing and reconciliation. Victims who defend themselves are often sentenced without the court ever hearing the full story of the abuse that led them there.[4]
Missouri law hasn’t yet caught up with best practices, leaving survivors behind bars—and the number continues to grow.[5] As a result, too many survivors—mostly women, often mothers—are incarcerated for actions driven by desperation or the instinct to survive.[6] This growing gap between the law and lived experience calls for a measured solution, which HB 989 thankfully offers.
This bill does not remove accountability. It does not guarantee a reduced sentence or early release. Rather, it ensures that judges have the option to weigh credible evidence of abuse at sentencing and, when appropriate, revisit older cases where that evidence was never considered. Importantly, the bill includes judicial safeguards to ensure only substantiated petitions for reconsideration move forward, preventing misuse of the process.
Missouri would not be the first state to adopt this approach. States like Oklahoma have already implemented similar changes, and other states—like Georgia—are considering them.[7] The result: fairer outcomes for survivors, improved system efficiency, and reduced incarceration of those who pose little to no public safety risk.
HB 989 is a thoughtful, responsible step towards ensuring Missouri’s justice system reflects the real experiences of domestic violence survivors. It strengthens our courts, respects victims, and promotes accountability without ignoring context. And it does so while preserving all necessary procedural protections to ensure the integrity of the process.
I respectfully urge this committee to support the Missouri Survivors’ Act and move HB 989 forward.
I appreciate your time and consideration.
Thank you,
Lisel Petis
Policy Director, Criminal Justice and Civil Liberties
R Street Institute
lpetis@rstreet.org
[1] H.B. 989, “Missouri Survivors’ Act,” Missouri 103rd General Assembly. https://house.mo.gov/bill.aspx?bill=HB989&year=2025&code=R.
[2] “Domestic Violence in Missouri,” National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, last accessed March 25, 2025. https://assets.speakcdn.com/assets/2497/ncadv_missouri_fact_sheet_2020.pdf.
[3] “Missouri,” John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2022. https://publichealth.jhu.edu/center-for-gun-violence-solutions/missouri.
[4] Jennifer Caldwell, et al, “Why I Hit Him: Women’s Reasons for Intimate Partner Violence,” J Aggress Maltreat Trauma, 18:7, Oct. 2009, pp. 672-697. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2975361.
[5] “Missouri,” Vera Institute for Justice, Oct. 16, 2024. https://trends.vera.org/state/MO.
[6] Wendy Sawyer and Wanda Bertram, “Prisons and jails will separate millions of mothers from their children in 2022,” Prison Policy Initiative, May 4, 2022. https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2022/05/04/mothers_day.
[7] “Williams, Roberts Recognize Lisa Moss, Oklahoma Survivors’ Act,” State of Oklahoma House of Representatives, Feb. 11, 2025. https://www.okhouse.gov/posts/20250211_1; H.B. 582, Georgia Survivor Justice Act,” Georgia 2025-2026 Regular Session. https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB582/2025.