Maggie McArthur, Paralegal: "We are so grateful to have these positive relationships"

Paralegal Maggie McArthur says that working with NextStep’s legal team is her dream job. “My dad worked at a correctional facility and in law enforcement for 32 years and my brothers and former brothers in-law worked in law enforcement. I’ve always been fascinated with the subject.”

 A survivor of domestic abuse who has used NextStep’s services herself, Maggie’s background and interests all came together when she saw an ad on Facebook that said NextStep was looking for legal support . “I was working as a waitress at the time I saw the ad, so with definite support from my husband and family, I summoned my courage and applied for it. It was huge when I got the call from Missy Fairfield, who had been instrumental in helping me as a DV survivor, to tell me I got the job. I just remember hanging up the phone and screaming with excitement!”

 Maggie has grown in her role at NextStep during her nearly three years. She started as legal support and worked directly with the High Risk Coordinator as part of a team, and then stepped into working with high risk survivors, which also meant working directly with law enforcement – a natural fit. As a paralegal she gets police reports and follows up with law enforcement, helping with writing statements, whatever she can do. If things aren’t going well, Maggie gets in there and helps – she is a connection between law enforcement and survivors.

 She is also involved in court advocacy, and assists as an intermediary for the courts, helping to foster agreements between parties on the PFA dockets. Maggie has become very well-known with law enforcement throughout Hancock and Washington Counties and has worked hard to establish good relationships. In her direct service work she gets calls from law enforcement, “more so now than before,” she said.

 One tool that Maggie appreciates, and is grateful that the State of Maine has adopted, is the Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment tool (ODARA). ODARA is an actuarial tool for estimating the risk that a domestic violence offender will assault a partner again. It was created by the Ontario Provincial Police Behavioral Sciences and Analysis Section and researchers at Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care. “Not all states use this because there is a perception that it creates more works for officers, but in truth it saves time. It pulls others into the process, including district attorneys – ODARA is such a great tool. What I appreciate is that it can give everyone an idea of what could happen next.”

 Recently, a domestic violence shelter from another state in another part of the country reached out to Maggie because they were looking for someone who was using ODARA. “Dorathy Martel had mentioned ODARA in an interview that appeared in The Ellsworth American and they found it. They called and I happened to answer the phone. They had reached the right person on their first try! Once they are ready to implement ODARA in their state, we will connect officers there to officers we work with in Maine. It’s been really gratifying to help them.”

 “We also use the Jackie Campbell Danger Assessment tool, which gives survivors the chance to see the risks – it creates light bulb moments for them when they see it all in black and white, what they’ve been through.” The ODARA score goes onto the police report and Maggie sees it to know what’s been assessed, which is very helpful as she works with the survivors. “One good thing about COVID, if you can say there is anything good about it, is that officers are doing more outreach. They have more time to reach out to survivors. We are so grateful to have these positive relationships with law enforcement and all of those who are there to help survivors of domestic violence.”