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District Attorney Ryan Leads Domestic Violence Prevention Training for Student Stylists

Posted on: May 7, 2013 - 9:20am

LOWELL – Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan, along with Alternative House and the Lowell Police Department, provided free training today to Empire Beauty School student stylists on how to identify signs of domestic violence and learn the resources available to help those in need.

The free training program for 60 students at Empire’s Lowell campus is part of the public-private partnership to bring the national domestic violence prevention program Cut It Out to Empire’s three schools in Middlesex County, located in Malden, Lowell and Framingham.

Participants in Cut It Out Middlesex learn how to spot signs of domestic violence and how to safely refer clients to local community service providers.  The program introduces and aligns participants with domestic violence service agencies as well as domestic violence officers from local police departments.  Today’s training program was lead by District Attorney Ryan, Shawn MacMaster, director of Community Partnerships at the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, Maria Crooker, assistant director of Alternative House, and the Lowell Police Department Community Services Division.

Cut It Out Middlesex started at local vocational and technical high school training programs to create awareness around the issue of domestic violence at the earliest stage of students’ professional development.  In addition to providing ongoing training and resources at Empire’s three campuses, the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office will offer Cut It Out training to area salons.

The Cut It Out program was conceived and first implemented in 2002 in Alabama and has become the national program of the Salons Against Domestic Abuse Fund, which is dedicated to mobilizing salon professionals and others to recognize signs of abuse and to fight the epidemic of domestic violence in communities across the United States. 

Middlesex County is the largest county in Massachusetts and one of the largest counties in the country with 54 towns and cities and 26 colleges in urban, suburban, and rural areas, comprising over one quarter of the population of Massachusetts.  The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office has offices throughout the county, including communities such as Ayer, Cambridge, Concord, Framingham, Lowell, Malden, Marlborough, Natick, Newton, Somerville, Waltham and Woburn.

For more information or to inquire about how to bring Cut It Out Middlesex training to your salon, contact Director of Community Partnerships Shawn MacMaster at 781-897-8300.