Rural communities face unique challenges in responding to incidences of domestic violence, due to geographic isolation and a lack of resources, among other factors. Such challenges make it difficult for survivors in rural areas to seek safety. These 10 practices for criminal courts in rural communities offer strategies to protect survivors’ safety and well-being, engage with abusive partners and hold them accountable, and collaborate within the community.
In this episode, our host Juan Carlos Areán is joined by Dr. Charvonne Holliday, assistant professor in the Department of Population, Family, and Reproductive Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, attorney Casey Gwinn, President of the Alliance for Hope International, and Dr. Chan Hellman, professor at the Ann and Harry Zara School of Social Work and Director of the Hope Research Center of the University of Oklahoma. The group discusses the science of hope and how it can be applied to intimate partner violence.
Domestic violence cases involve serious safety concerns that make monitoring compliance especially difficult. Abusive partners may continue to harass and coerce their intimate partners without the knowledge of the justice system. For courts seeking to ensure compliance and support behavior change among people who abuse their partners, strong communication and collaboration with probation departments is key.
In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, abusive partner intervention program (APIP) providers across the country have adapted their services to help promote healing and foster accountability during these unprecedented times.
Specialized domestic violence courts centralize resources and trained staff to handle a dedicated domestic violence docket. Domestic violence courts operate in jurisdictions across the country, adapting to local laws and court structure, available resources, and community-specific needs. While there is no one model for a specialized domestic violence court, they rely on some common strategies and goals to ensure victim/survivor safety, a robust coordinated community response, and accountability and engagement for those who cause harm.
Responding to domestic violence safely and effectively is a top priority for many tribal justice systems, especially given the high rates of domestic violence experienced by Native women. Strengthening the tribal justice response can take many, interrelated forms, but may include a specialized Domestic Violence Court as well as implementing Special Domestic Violence Criminal Jurisdiction under the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013. This fact sheet outlines the ways these two interventions can complement and strengthen each other.
In this episode, our host Juan Carlos Areán is joined by Mary Case, Manager of the Legal Advocacy Project for Survivors at the Los Angeles LGBT Center and Cat Shugrue dos Santos, Deputy Executive Director for Programs at the NYC Anti-Violence Project. They discuss the importance of applying an intersectional lens when intervening on intimate partner violence within LGBTQIA+ communities.
In the latest episode of our podcast series, our host Juan Carlos Areán from Futures Without Violence speaks with Ed Heisler and Chris Godsey from Men As Peacemakers and Kourou Pich from HarborCOV Communities Overcoming Violence about restorative practices in abusive partner intervention as well as intimate partner violence cases more broadly. The group explores various aspects of restorative justice, such as accountability, indigenous cultural practices that inform this approach, and how communities can come together to heal from harm.
During the webinar, presenters Doris O’Neal, Melissa Scaia, and Dr. Carolyn West share their insights on not only the different types of intimate partner violence caused by women, but on best practices for responding to their needs, strengths, and stories. With respect to the criminalization of survivors, they also explore the impacts of the criminal legal system at the intersection of gender, race, and intimate partner violence.
Dr. Anton Treuer, Professor of Ojibwe at Bemidji State University, discusses the role of bias in the justice system and its impact on Native Americans. He talks about some of the recent initiatives in Beltrami County and we hear from Judge Paul Benshoof about the introduction of tribal flags in the domestic violence court. Dr. Treuer addresses ways in which court staff and others working in the justice system can have frank conversations about bias and historical trauma, and incorporate cultural elements into services for survivors and people who cause harm.
