The Montana Silent Witness Initiative was established in 1999 and is an IRS 501(c) (3) non-profit corporation. Patterned after the National Silent Witness Initiative, Inc. (NSWI), our goal is the elimination of murder by domestic violence in Montana by the year 2010 2020.

The Silent Witnesses are life-sized plywood cutouts of a woman's shape in three different formats. Each figure is painted bright red and bears a gold shield on the chest which provides information about the woman and circumstances of her death. Currently there are 78 figures in the display representing those Montana women who were murdered by a domestic partner since 1990. A figure is not added to the display until the case has gone through the court system or was a suicide during the incident.  Additionally, there have been 6 children murdered and they are memorialized along with their mothers.

The Silent Witness display travels around the state of Montana and is available to any group or organization who is interested in presenting a public program designed to address the anti-domestic violence movement. For information on obtaining the traveling display, please click on the link entitled "Obtaining the Witnesses".

Since bringing the initial program to Montana in 1996, we have established several results based projects. These include the Stosny Treatment Method, Court Watch and the Self-Mastery Concept for treatment of batterers. Self-Mastery is currently being used in many treatment programs in Montana.

Do you know of someone murdered in a domestic violence situation in Montana since 1990 who is not included in this list?

Please let us know as soon as possible by calling Vickie at: 406-728-2621 or send us an e-mail at jerrim@wispwest.net