Judge Jeanine Pirro: 'Shame on Chris Brown!'

Judge Jeanine Pirro: 'Shame on Chris Brown!'

Friday, February 13, 2009

filed under: jeanine pirro

The victims' rights advocate has some harsh words for Chris Brown, who allegedly assaulted girlfriend Rihanna over the weekend.

Judge Jeanine Pirro, a tireless advocate of women's rights, created one of the first Domestic Violence Units in the nation. As District Attorney, she chaired the New York State Commission on Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board. Its findings resulted in legislation being passed that increased protections and safeguards for domestic violence victims and their families.

Judge Pirro also presides daily over her courtroom on the popular show "Judge Jeanine Pirro." With her direct, no-nonsense attitude and compassionate approach, Judge Pirro rules on a variety of cases, from small claims to emotionally charged disputes between couples in crisis, deadbeat dads and out-of-control teens.

That's why we were particularly interested to hear Judge Jeanine Pirro's thoughts on the Chris Brown situation.

Here's what she had to say:

Initial reaction
This case is yet another example of how domestic violence crosses all socio-economic and ethnic lines. This incident was surprising to some people, but to me it was just another domestic violence case ... only this time with a celebrity. Hopefully Rihanna will stand up not only for herself but for all the other women who are being abused and beaten.

No further investigation necessary
I'm reading the reports, and I think it's rather unusual that the DA has asked the police for further investigation of Chris Brown. By law, you have 30 days to investigate after a person posts bail. But Rihanna clearly had visible injuries, and she is cooperating with police. They don't need any more than that. It's a very simple domestic violence assault. In a statement, she alleged he threatened to kill her and he choked her. She was in the hospital from Sunday to Monday night -- that's not just a visit, that's a hospital stay. Based on 30 years experience in this field, I would say this is more than enough for prosecutors. As far as I'm concerned, there's a serious injury here ... what else do you need? Domestic violence cases like this have to be handled seriously and quickly.

All about control
Domestic violence is all about control. People who were raised with domestic violence learn growing up that violence is the way to solve conflicts. He took out his anger on Rihanna, and he beat her. Generally, almost always, the violence increases in intensity and severity as time goes on. If you've overlooked a slap or a shove before, it will likely happen again and will be even worse the next time. It sounds like Rihanna got a real beating. And she is so delicate ... shame on him.

The public fallout
The biggest problem for Chris Brown, even more than law enforcement, is going to be with Jay-Z and others ostracizing him within the music industry. He's already lost some of his endorsements, like Got Milk? and Wrigley's.

Will Rihanna take Chris Brown back?
Many times, the victim will give the victim another chance. Hope springs eternal for victims of domestic violence that the last beating will indeed be the last beating. But it's even worse the next time. It is time to make Chris Brown accountable. Even if she gets back together with him, she couldn't have the charges dropped. It's the State of California pressing charges on him now ... at this point, she's a witness. As a DA, the first thing I would do would be to get a medical release from the victim. That way, I could go forward with the charges, even if the victim had a change of heart.

Shame on Rihanna's publicist
I found Rihanna's publicist's initial statement -- "Rihanna is well. Thank you for your support." -- particularly disturbing. You can't sweep this under the rug. Shame on her publicist for trying to do that.

Domestic abuse in the spotlight
Rihanna is a delicate young woman who is talented. That doesn't mean she deserves this abuse any less than any other woman, but her fame will help put the spotlight on domestic violence as a whole. Publicizing these cases is especially important. It helps spread the belief among women that domestic abuse is absolutely not okay, under any circumstances. Young women in abusive situations can say, 'It's not me. This is about men trying to control women and taking their anger out on women.' The average woman might now say, 'Gee, it's not my fault ... it's a problem with the man.' And that's a very good thing.

Be sure to check out "Judge Jeanine Pirro" daily on the CW at 3:00 PM.

Judge Jeanine Pirro is an attorney, prosecutor and politician who served as a county judge before serving as the elected district attorney of Westchester County in New York for 12 years. Judge Jeanine lives in Rye, New York, and is the mother of two college-age children.

20 comments so far | Post a comment now >>

What does being ‘delicate’ have to do with being abused? Shame on you, Jeanine!

- Diva

Posted 02/12/09 11:36 AM

no-one still knows the whole story. best thing is everyone keep their mouth shut whoever they are until rihanna or chris makes a statement. but yes if it is true then shame on him.

- ash

Posted 02/12/09 12:02 PM

Ummmh ima biq fan of chris. And i think dat was wronq but she must of did somethinq really bad to qet him dat mad to hit her.

- Shorty

Posted 02/12/09 12:40 PM

Yes because the natural reaction for a man being mad at a woman is to beat her. There is NOTHING ok about domestic violence and there is nothing a woman can do to invoke a beating from a man and have it be justified. Shorty I honestly think that you are ignorant, look at your grammar. Blame the girl, that makes this all better. How disgusting.

- Michigirl

Posted 02/12/09 12:47 PM

Shorty- I really hope that comment was a joke and you’re just being a troll. That is one of the most ignorant things someone could say in a situation like this. Even if Rhianna wasn’t “delicate”, say if she was a pro wrestler, no one EVER deserves be be treated that way. If the allegations are true and Chris did choke, hit and bite her (as some reports claim- even a possible broken jaw) the marks on her body should be enough proof to press charges. I’m angry that he’s still running around living his celebrity life. I for one am tired of of celebrity’s getting off easy. Had this happened in a middle class neighborhood, to a middle class family with a middle class bank account he’d be in a TON of trouble and the DA would have pressed charges already.

- Jodi

Posted 02/12/09 12:54 PM

I wonder if he was hit as a kid? still no excuse. but one more reason for parents to refrain from teaching hitting is ok.

- Tonya

Posted 02/12/09 01:04 PM

Physical injury heals in a few days but mental scar takes a long time to heal. No I’m not talking about the one caused by the physical injury but the words and actions of a woman. Not every person who shoots is a murderer. Not every person who hits is an abuser. Verbal abuse is also an offense. As long as verbal abusers are not punished you will have physical abuse as men cannot compete with women verbally and the only way they know to react is physical. And as long as even minor or first time physical abusers are treated as criminals the violence against women will increase. The reason is when a man knows that his life is ruined if he loses control just once then he tends to control and the anger builds up over a period of time and when it explodes it will be much worse than not controlling your anger. It is not as simple as women think. You can not solve the problem by just punishing the men when the problem is on either side. Licensed marriage and family therapist Shannon Fox has said that “It’s true there are fundamental differences between boys and girls, High testosterone levels in boys can trigger aggression, low concentration, and less focus. Where as little girls are more interested in learning, nurturing relationships and bonding. Parents should deal with these gender differences by teaching their sons the same principals as their daughters”. As with most such cases the therapist is a woman and she has mentioned only the negatives of High testosterone levels in boys while on the other hand she mentions only positives about girls. It looks like the best way for a boy to behave is to behave like a girl. Forget the positives about boys and negatives about the girls, what she has mentioned is distorted, testosterone makes you competitive and aggressive but “low concentration and less focus”?? Girls are good at learning, but just learning what you teach but boys are also good at learning but they tend to be more independent and they learn what interests them and on their own. Girls also have a bad temper and are more selfish and jealous than the boys. When a therapist can be so biased we cannot expect much. With this attitude no doubt boys are not interested in schools. If a man hits

- slk

Posted 02/12/09 02:19 PM

If a man hits a woman it is a major crime, if a woman hits a man it is not a crime, and worse the man should have done something to deserve it. In fact many women have even got away with murder and statutory rape by justifying their acts and blaming it on the victims/past/some scientific condition. But when the victim is a woman even if the man has a squeaky clean record you are not interested in what the woman did or her past. I heard that Rihanna liked to fight with her brothers and she is supposed to have proudly stated that she was the aggressor and she had once even hit her brother on the face with a glass bottle. How many years did she serve in prison for that?

- slk

Posted 02/12/09 02:23 PM

shame on Judge Jeanine Pirro!! b/c no body knows the full story and nobody talking about what happen=)NEXT!!

- lola

Posted 02/12/09 04:16 PM

SLK- About the glass bottle incident…. Were charges filed? Were the police called? How old was she when it happened? How is someone to be punished for a crime if no one reports it? Can Brown PROVE Rhianna started it or even hit him? If so, press charges on her as well. The facts we have RIGHT NOW are the marks she has on her body that required an overnight stay in a hospital. If a woman hits a man it IS a crime and rather than HIT BACK- the police should be called and charges pressed. A man as big as Chris could have easily found a different tactic to subdue A small girl like Rhianna while the police were on their way.

- Jodi

Posted 02/12/09 04:21 PM

And we all know that half knowledge is dangerous. Bush proved it in Afghanistan and Iraq. You cannot build a house if you know how to paint a house. I’m not suggesting that Rihanna hit Chris. I do not know. I’m just trying to point out the media and legal bias when a man does some thing and woman does the same thing. FYI Jeanine Pirro says “It’s the State of California pressing charges on him now … at this point, she’s a witness. As a DA, the first thing I would do would be to get a medical release from the victim. That way, I could go forward with the charges, even if the victim had a change of heart.” So there is no need to file charges…. … if the victim is a woman Men will never get justice with DA and judges like her

- slk

Posted 02/12/09 04:55 PM

Im getting really fed up with all you people saying that Chris is totally at fault for this, and when his fans express other wise you are quick to state that they are wrong because they don’t know him. But just as we don’t know him, you Rihanna fans out there don’t know her personally. Both parties are absolutely guilty!!! There is no question about that. Chris wasn’t arguing with himself, neither did he fight himself. Did you know that Chris had bruises and scratches too? Ooh but I’m sure nobody cares because “he’s the aggressor in this situation, he started everything and her just took out all his frustration on her” just to do so. Grow up! Shut up and mind your business, stop talking about sh*t you know nothing about. Both Chris and Rihanna are going through a very rough time, though she may have suffered more physical damages, he’s human too and I’m sure he’s hurting just as much if not more than she is. And seriously that judge need to shut her mouth because I watched a couple of her shows and she is very biased!!! Being a woman of course your going to be quick to jump on Rihanna’s side. You all need to remember that Chris has a squeaky clean background, and though he grew up around violence, he came this far without expressing any, n my opinion he was provoked. When a person is provoked to an extreme, they react. Often times out reactions are ones of impulsive manor, unfortunately this case was the product of that. Seriously everybody needs to just let it rest, they are regular people who are going through regular people’s trials and tribulations let them and the cops, DAs and their families figure it out on their own.

- MOY

Posted 02/12/09 05:02 PM

- MOY

Posted 02/12/09 05:03 PM

i thought chris was a good guy but you can never tell. so for all the women out there you need to stand up for youself and go to the police right away if you dont it the beating will get worse and you dont want that at all. So try to choose the right guy and if you cant tell just try not to get him angry jk -liv

- liv

Posted 02/12/09 05:14 PM

- liv

Posted 02/12/09 05:15 PM

All you morons need to take your hand off the keyboard and try thinking for a second. Chris Brown is very likely GUILTY of assault. Rihanna might be guilty of assault also, but chances are slim. The bottom line is he is much stronger than her, and to give her a split lip and bloody nose implies a serious beating. Fans, you might like his singing, but back up and look at him as just a man.. what he’s done is wrong, and I think he’ll pay for it in court. To jump to his defense now is a simplistic reaction. You may like him, but it doesn’t change what he did.

- joe

Posted 02/12/09 05:32 PM

I just lost the little amount of respect I had for this judge.

- God

Posted 02/12/09 10:34 PM

Joe - I’m sure you do not consider a man and a woman as equals. “He was much stronger than her”. If you think they are equal you would say let the guilty be punished. To quote MOY “Chris wasn’t arguing with himself, neither did he fight himself”. It was not a hate crime where he searched for a random target and hit her. A fight is between a minimum of 2 individuals. Since she is weaker her injuries are more but that does not mean she is not guilty. For e.g. If person1 shoots person2 and in self defense person2 shoots back and if person1 misses and person2 injures person1 should person2 be charged with attempt of murder? Now person2 should not be punished for just having a better, sharper and “stronger” shooting skill. If Rihanna hit Chris and he did not get a split lip and bloody nose does not mean that she never intended/tried to hurt him. It is just that she was not strong/fast enough to hurt him. If Chris gave “a split lip and bloody nose” that does not imply a serious beating. A simple tap on the face can split you lip and give a bloody nose, especially if you are as delicate as a celeb female. If she has some kind of injury like fracture which implies brute force than Chris’s it is serious. The fact that she has scratch marks and bite marks implies that it was more in self defense. A Man never scratches or bites someone to hurt them.

- slk

Posted 02/13/09 12:23 PM

Shorty is either a troll or guilty of domestic battery himself. Chris Brown grew up in a home where he witnessed domestic violence quite frequently (he revealed this in a TV interview), so this is no surprise. It’s no excuse, but it explains it psychologically. I find it the height of ignorance and arrogance that anyone would defend Brown. There’s a police report, a hospital report, and Brown’s relative saying Chris feels “remorse”. My guess is those that defend Brown can’t accept their idol has fallen and defend him out of misplaced loyalty; or, they are young and/or uneducated on the topic of domestic violence and therefore are expressing childish and naive viewpoints.

- Nat

Posted 02/15/09 04:17 PM

i hate chris right now!

- vjs

Posted 04/18/09 03:04 AM