A Comparison of Two Prosecution Policies in Cases of Intimate Partner Violence
By Robert Davis, Donald Farole, Jr., Chris O'Sullivan, and Michael Rempel
A study comparing recidivism rates, victim satisfaction, and costs of filing all domestic violence cases with the court vs. declining
to file cases when the victim opposes prosecution. Published in Criminology and Public Policy, Volume 7, Issue 4 (November 2008),
and available from Wiley InterScience online
here .
The same journal issue also includes an editorial
introduction and two commentaries on the study, written by other experts in the field. The complete research report
on the same study is available for immediate download
here .
A Comparison of Two Prosecution Policies in Cases of Intimate Partner Violence: Mandatory Case Filing vs. Following the Victim’s Lead (COMPLETE DOCUMENT)
By Robert Davis, Donald Farole, Jr., Chris O'Sullivan, and Michael Rempel
Whether prosecution should proceed in domestic violence cases without the support of the victim is an important question with valid theoretical arguments on each side but a dearth of empirical data. This study compared case outcomes, victim satisfaction, and costs in a jurisdiction where the DA’s Office typically declines to file cases when the victim opposes prosecution (the Bronx) with a jurisdiction where the DA’s Office has a universal filing policy (Brooklyn).
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A Comparison of Two Prosecution Policies in Cases of Intimate Partner Violence: Mandatory Case Filing vs. Following the Victim’s Lead (EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ONLY)
By Robert Davis, Donald Farole, Jr., Chris O'Sullivan, and Michael Rempel
Whether prosecution should proceed in domestic violence cases without the support of the victim is an important question with valid theoretical arguments on each side but a dearth of empirical data. This study compared case outcomes, victim satisfaction, and costs in a jurisdiction where the DA’s Office typically declines to file cases when the victim opposes prosecution (the Bronx) with a jurisdiction where the DA’s Office has a universal filing policy (Brooklyn).
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A National Compendium of Domestic Violence Courts
By Staff of the Center for Court Innovation
This compendium serves as a companion document to A National Portrait of Domestic Violence Courts. The compendium provides contact information for 208 criminal domestic violence courts in the United States as of December 2009. These courts handle criminal domestic violence cases on a separate calendar or assign criminal domestic violence cases to one or more dedicated judges or judicial officers.
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A National Portrait of Domestic Violence Courts
By Sarah Bradley, Melissa Labriola, Samantha Moore, Chris O'Sullivan, and Michael Rempel
This study explores the goals, policies, and practices of criminal domestic violence courts nationwide. Based on in-depth visits to select sites and a national survey completed by 129 domestic violence courts, results point to strong national convergence around the fundamental goals of victim safety and offender accountability. However, the study identifies other goals about which there is less agreement (e.g., offender rehabilitation or case processing efficiency) and reveals wide variations in court policy and practice. The ultimate goal of the study is to lay the groundwork for future information exchange and cross-learning among these courts.
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Annual Report: 2009
Highlights of the Center for Court Innovation's accomplishments in 2009.
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Batterer Programs and Beyond
By Michael Rempel
An article that both critically examines the research literature related to each of two goals that are commonly ascribed to court-ordered batterer programs: rehabilitation and offender accountability. The article also considers the prospects for several new directions in sentencing, including judicial monitoring, community service, and heavy fines. The article concludes by recommending that, whether or not courts continue to rely on offender programs, they also seek to incorporate more comprehensive and systematic approaches to offender monitoring and sanctioning for noncompliance. Published in Violence against Women in Families and Relationships: Volume Three: Criminal Justice and the Law, eds. Evan Stark and Eve S. Buzawa, Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger, 2009. Available on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Violence-against-Women-Families-Relationships/dp/0275998525
Bridging Theory and Practice: A Roundtable about Court Responses to Domestic Violence
By Carolyn Turgeon
An edited transcript of a daylong conversation among 20 national experts as they explored options for improving criminal court responses to domestic violence, with particular focus on batterer program mandates, judicial monitoring, probation supervision, and victim advocacy.
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Bringing Domestic Violence Best Practices to New York's Town and Village Courts
By Amanda Cissner
Based on findings from a recent training series, this descriptive study documents the current domestic violence policies and practices of town and village justice courts located in one rural county of upstate, New York. The report highlights the challenges faced by many rural jurisdictions in implementing domestic violence best practices and measures the effectiveness of a traditional training for small jurisdictions.
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Child Support Protocol: A Guide for Integrated Domestic Violence Courts
By Liberty Aldrich and Judy Reichler
A paper outlining best practice recommendations for courts hearing domestic violence cases, emphasizing that judges should consider financial support and other issues with victim safety in mind.
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Children's Exposure to Intimate Partner Sexual Assault
By Kathryn Ford
An introduction to the important and neglected issue of children's exposure to intimate partner sexual assault involving their parents. Includes legal history, case examples, recommendations for how to work with adult victims and exposed children, and questions for future research. Published in Family & Intimate Partner Violence Quarterly, 1(2), Fall 2008.
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Court Responses to Batterer Program Noncompliance: A National Perspective
By Rachel Finkelstein, Phyllis Frank, Melissa Labriola, Jim McDowell, Chris O'Sullivan, and Michael Rempel
A study conducted in collaboration with VCS Inc. that examines how criminal courts respond when domestic violence offenders are noncompliant with a court mandate to a batterer program. The study, based on a national survey of courts, batterer programs, and victim assistance agencies in all 50 states, detected overwhelming support for the goal of "accountability" in theory but a gap between theory and practice, as most courts indicated that they do not always or often impose sanctions when offenders are noncompliant with the batterer program mandate.
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Criminal Domestic Violence Case Processing: A case study of the five boroughs of New York City
By Chandra Gavin and Nora Puffett
A cross-borough comparison of prosecution and court processing practices for misdemeanor domestic violence cases. The study explores the views of different stakeholders--judges, defense attorneys, prosecutors and victim advocates--regarding the rationale and impact of criminal justice policies, with most expressing support for a specialized domestic violence court model but concern for issues of victim safety and recidivism.
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Do Batterer Program Length or Approach Affect Completion or Re-Arrest Rates?
By Amanda Cissner and Nora Puffett
The research examines the use of two batterer programs with disparate program philosophies by the Brooklyn Misdemeanor Domestic Violence Court, comparing outcomes among mandated defendants. The results suggest that neither underlying program philosophy nor program length alone predict either program completion or future violence.
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Documenting Results: Research on Problem-Solving Justice
By Staff of the Center for Court Innovation
This collection of research reports, written by Center for Court Innovation staff, analyzes the impact of a broad range of problem-solving initiatives launched in New York State and nationwide over the past decade. Among the findings: judicially monitored drug treatment succeeds in reducing recidivism among addicted offenders; more than 85 percent of offenders at an experimental community court thought their cases were handled fairly-a significant improvement compared to conventional courts; by linking mentally ill offenders to community-based treatment instead of incarceration, courts can help improve offenders functioning and reduce the likelihood of re-arrest. The book also includes overviews of the national research literature on drug courts and community courts; an evaluation of a new approach to teen dating violence; and an investigation of how problem-solving principles might be integrated more broadly throughout state court systems.
Click here to order the book for $9.95 (including shipping and handling), from amazon.com.
Does Judicial Monitoring Deter Domestic Violence Recidivism? Results of a Quasi-Experimental Comparison in the Bronx
By Robert Davis, Melissa Labriola, and Michael Rempel
A study of the impact of intensive judicial monitoring with convicted domestic violence offenders. Key findings are also presented in Chapter Six of Testing the Effectiveness of Batterer Programs and Judicial Monitoring Published in Violence Against Women, Volume 14, Number 2 (February 2008).
available from Sage Journals online
Evaluating the Mentors in Violence Prevention Program
By Amanda Cissner
This combined process and impact evaluation supports the effectiveness of a gender violence prevention program adapted for college students, known as Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP). In an earlier evaluation, the program was found to produce significant positive changes in attitudes and predicted behaviors among high school age youth. This study, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, examines the replication of the MVP program with college fraternity and sorority members at Syracuse University.
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Fact Sheet—Evaluating Your Program
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Fact Sheet—Finding the Resources to Help Your Program Thrive
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Fact Sheet—Mapping Community Resources
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Fact Sheet—Planning Checklist
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Fact Sheet—Problem-Solving Justice in the United States: Common Principles
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Fact Sheet—Publicizing Your Program and Its Successes
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Fact Sheet—Using Data to Build Your Program
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Fact Sheet—Using Diversion as Part of a Problem-Solving Strategy
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Process Evaluation of the Brooklyn Youthful Offender Domestic Violence Court
By Amanda Cissner
An evaluation of the Brooklyn Youthful Offender Domestic Violence Court. Through a number of data sources including defendant and stakeholder interviews, the evaluation documents the planning and implementation process, describes court operations, and identifies key challenges and lessons during the first 15 months of court operations.
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Race, Bias and Problem-Solving Courts
By Robert V. Wolf
In order to ensure that problem-solving courts work as fairly and effectively as possible with all populations, research needs to be done into the issues of race and bias. This groundbreaking paper, published in the National Black Law Journal, is an attempt to guide researchers in the right direction by highlighting key concerns that are ripe for future exploration and analysis. Published in 21 Nat'l Black L.J. 1 (2009).
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Responding to Human Trafficking: Lessons from an Experiment in the Bronx
By Liberty Aldrich and Robyn Mazur
With funding from the State Justice Institute, the Center for Court Innovation sought to test whether it was possible to create a court screening tool capable of efficiently identifying victims of trafficking and engaging them in needed services. This short report summarizes the implementation of this experiment and offers lessons for other jurisdictions interested in improving their response to trafficking.
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Specialized Felony Domestic Violence Courts: Lessons on Implementation and Impact from the Kings County Experience
By Kelly Diffily, Kamala Mallik Kane, Lisa Newmark, and Michael Rempel
An evaluation documenting the implementation process and the impact of the Kings County Felony Domestic Violence Court on referrals to batterer intervention programs, provision of services to victims, case outcomes, recidivism, and other case processing measures.
Published by the Urban Institute Justice Policy Center (October 2001)
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Supervised Visitation: What Courts Should Know When Working with Supervised Visitation Programs
By Kathryn Ford and Samantha Moore
A guide to promoting greater safety of children and adults during supervised visitation.
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Testing the Effectiveness of Batterer Programs and Judicial Monitoring: Results from a Randomized Trial at the Bronx Misdemeanor Domestic Violence Court
By Robert Davis, Melissa Labriola, and Michael Rempel
A study testing whether batterer programs and judicial monitoring are effective at reducing recidivism among domestic violence offenders. The study compares the recidivism rates of convicted offenders who were randomly assigned either to attend or not to attend a batterer program; and includes a second analysis examining whether ongoing judicial monitoring by the court deters recidivism. Results are based on a combination of official re-arrest records and victim reports of re-abuse. The results indicate that neither of the interventions in question produce a reduction in recidivism.
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Two Decades of Specialized Domestic Violence Courts: A Review of the Literature
By Samantha Moore
An overview of the research literature on specialized domestic violence courts, this paper provides a summary of the current state of the field, an analyses of domestic violence court characteristics and goals, and a review of major research findings concerning court impacts on case processing, stakeholder coordination, informed decision-making, offender accountability, recidivism, victim safety, and victim services.
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