Sheryl Ring asks if MLB’s Domestic Violence Policy is working.

So there’s a real question to be asked regarding what the point of MLB’s domestic violence program is, because right now it doesn’t seem to have one. And there are no quick fixes here. A zero-tolerance ban for life could endanger victims, as Southworth points out. But there’s a flip side to that, which is that the wealth and opportunities facilitated by a major-league career probably aren’t best served to benefit domestic abusers, and unrepentant domestic abusers seem to create an even bigger problem. Perhaps larger fines, with the money being paid to domestic-violence charities, might represent a positive development. Changing the suspensions to mirror those of PEDs — so that offenders can’t play in the playoffs — could be another. If offenders were treated as harshly by writers as PED users, that would likely also serve to change the culture. In any case, the current policy doesn’t appear yet to have satisfied the basic requirements of an ideal punishment.

I think the point of the policy was, “Something needs to be done, and we’re doing something.” I personally don’t like punishing people without due process. Maybe one solution is to encourage victims to prosecute the abuser. MLB could pay all the legal fees needed to move a case along.

There is a reason there is a presumption of innocence in the legal system and that the accused must face their victims in open court. It’s messy, and a lot of victims don’t want to destroy their families in the process. If MLB can give them the support to move these cases along, that would be a move in the right direction.