Domestic Violence

We help courts and communities respond creatively and effectively to domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and dating violence.

Watch our video to learn how courts in Rockford, Ill., respond to domestic violence.

Combining lessons learned at the local level with the latest research, our experts provide community-led, data-driven support to jurisdictions across the country looking to enhance their responses to domestic violence. With support from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women, our experts offer training and hands-on assistance that rejects any one-size-fits-all frameworks. Our work focuses on victim safety and covers civil and criminal justice system responses to domestic violence from initial needs assessments to implementation, evaluation, and ongoing training.

We provide free individualized training and support to courts and communities on a range of topics:

informed-decision making
holistic victim services
offender accountability and engagement
reducing bias and increasing access
engaging the court
learning-based training and practical application

To hear more from us, join our email list. We’ll let you know when we have an upcoming training, webinar, or new resource.

Judge H. Lee Chitwood and Court Coordinator Jaime Clemmer discuss the innovative strategies they use for domestic violence cases in their rural Virginia county.

Initiatives

Access to Justice in Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Cases

Improving access to the courts for victims of domestic violence and those accused of harm enhances safety and accountability and ensures a more just and effective system.
Assessing Risk and Working with Abusive Partners

We use research and the experience of practitioners to help communities hold offenders accountable, assess risk, and engage them in a process of change.
Domestic Violence Court

A pioneer in the creation of specialized domestic violence courts, the Center works to rethink and improve court responses to intimate partner violence.
Domestic Violence Mentor Courts

These specialized courts serve as resources for courts across the country by facilitating peer-to-peer learning and providing examples of effective practices.
Domestic Violence Training for Your Community

We train courts and communities by developing domestic violence workshops that target your specific needs and provide concrete tools to improve daily practice.
Enhancing Family Court Responses to Domestic Violence

We help courts grapple with the issues surrounding child custody and visitation for families experiencing domestic violence.
Judicial Engagement Network

Engaging judges and fostering judicial leadership is key to enhancing system-wide responses to domestic violence and sexual assault.
Justice for Families

Justice for Families supports communities in developing and implementing projects to address domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and dating violence.

Publications & Digital Media

Publication
Bail Reform and Domestic Violence in New York

by Krystal Rodriguez and Michael Rempel

Effective January 2020, New York State has passed reforms sharply curtailing the use of bail. This analysis explains several important provisions intended to protect victims of domestic violence and uses data from New York City to explore the reforms' potential implications in such cases.

Bail Reform, Domestic Violence
Publication
Planning Domestic Violence Training Programs for Your Community: A Practice Guide

by Nida Abbasi, Kathryn Ford, Brittany Davis, and Denise Dancy

One of the most popular requests technical assistance providers receive from sites involves developing training programs. Effective community-based training and education centered on domestic violence helps improve the capacity of justice system professionals to respond safely and appropriately in these cases. The following guide contains ideas and recommendations developed to assist courts and communities in all phases of developing and implementing local domestic violence training programs that specifically targets adult learners.

Domestic Violence
Publication
Responding to Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault through Court Watch: A Collaborative Approach

by Rebecca Thomforde Hauser and Kate Wurmfeld

Court watch programs typically send volunteers to observe courts in action. In this way, they try to assess what is working and where improvements in the court's response to domestic violence and sexual assault are needed. Unfortunately, court watch programs have had varying degrees of success in changing practice. This guide addresses challenges court watch programs face and offers recommendations to make them more effective. The recommendations include collaborating with the court and its partners to identify court watch goals and cultivating buy-in for recommended changes.

Domestic Violence

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