Hulu's 'Reasonable Doubt' creator and cast discuss domestic violence storyline ahead of finale

For Domestic Violence Awareness Month, ABC's "Our America: Hidden Stories" sat down with the creator of Hulu's "Reasonable Doubt," Raamla Mohamed, and the show's lead actresses, Emayatzy Corinealdi and Shannon Kane, to discuss the importance of centering a domestic violence storyline for Season 2. Forensic psychologist Dr. Debra Warner joined them to offer her expertise on those facing domestic violence.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), experience contact sexual violence, physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime. About in the U.S. are killed by a current or former intimate partner. The same is true for

Corinealdi's character, Jax, served as a criminal defense lawyer this season for Kane's character, Chanel, who's facing prosecution for killing her abusive husband.

Mohamed points to the ever-present domestic violence in our culture, citing it as her inspiration for Chanel's story.

"Whether it's being talked about or not, it's something that women and even men have experienced for a very long time," Mohamed said. "It was kind of a no-brainer to be able to highlight this topic, especially in a personal way, because I always feel like through television and through stories, that's how people understand things."

Kane speaks to the way her characters' trials mirror millions of women across the world, including their reasons for staying in abusive situations.

"There is fear that if they take that step and the plan is inadequate, then it could lead to homicide," Kane said. "It could lead to the end of their life. And on top of that, there is an immense amount of shame and guilt."

Dr. Warner agrees.

"Sixty percent of women recant their statements," Warner said. "They also are afraid of prosecution. They don't leave, they go back. It's a cycle, right? And they have kids, you have financial abuse, you have all kinds of things that happened that's just really heavy."

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics National Crime Victimization Survey, more than to law enforcement.

"They're suffering in silence," Kane said. "Which is why this conversation is so important."

In preparing for the role, Kane leaned on hard research. She consulted interviews with victims, 911 calls, figured out common injuries survivors deal with, and used Mohamed's connection to the National Domestic Violence hotline. Mohamed points to also leaning on the shared experiences of the show's creatives.

"We had so many shared stories in the writer's room about this experience," said Mohamed. "I personally had some experience with it, and so I put that into the show. And then, of course, because we wanted to make sure the statistics that we talk about were accurate, we consulted with the National Domestic Hotline."