New Georgia law offers domestic violence survivors pathway out of prison

This story was updated on Thursday, July 17 at 11:09 a.m. to add context from a Gwinnett County prosecutor who handled Dickens’ case.

LaToya Dickens says her husband, whom she met when they were teenagers, physically abused her for years.

“By the time I was 18 years old, he and I had three children together,” Dickens said. “The abuse continued to get extensive. One time, I can recall that he lifted me up waist high to him and threw me off the porch while I was eight months pregnant.”