Programs that work with perpetrators of intimate partner violence are changing as practitioners across the United States employ new strategies to improve outcomes for both offenders and survivors. Courts and judges have an opportunity to build on this exciting time of change. This document describes the innovative approaches to risk assessment, treatment modality, compliance, and procedural fairness that intervention programs for abusive partners are using to enhance victim safety and offender accountability.
Court observation programs around the country send volunteers into courts to observe, collect data, and sometimes issue reports about what they've seen. Their goals include keeping courts accountable to the public and improving transparency, but not all courts are eager to receive public feedback. Court Watch of King County, Washington, has worked closely with its local courts since the program's founding, trying to build a relationship that is more collaborative than adversarial.
Recent research has uncovered promising strategies for deterring recidivism among domestic violence offenders. Courts across various jurisdictions promote effective deterrence by engaging in evidence-based strategies such as judicial monitoring and imposing certain and consistent consequences in response to non-compliance. This fact sheet describes the concept of deterrence and how it can be implemented in domestic violence cases to enhance victim safety and hold offenders accountable
In May 2016, victim advocates, restorative justice practitioners, tribal peacemakers, prosecutors, federal policymakers, and others came together in Santa Fe, N.M., to discuss whether and how restorative practices could be used to safely and effectively respond to intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and dating violence. This document synthesizes a complex discussion into a series of themes for future reflection and planning around the issues raised.
For a justice system to be truly just, it must be accessible to all individuals. However, litigants may face challenges when courts are not responsive to their cultural identity. For survivors of domestic violence, these challenges present additional barriers towards accessing justice and obtaining fair outcomes.
For a justice system to be truly just, it must be accessible to all individuals. However, litigants may face challenges when courts are not responsive to their cultural identities. For survivors of domestic violence, these challenges present additional barriers to accessing justice and obtaining fair outcomes. Watch Building a Culture of Justice and read the viewers' guide to learn how justice-system staff and stakeholders can serve litigant needs by implementing culturally-responsive practices in courts handling domestic violence cases.
This fact sheet explains the concept of procedural justice and offers a few simple strategies for courts and domestic violence stakeholders to enhance procedural justice and improve outcomes for both victims and defendants.
An addendum to the Center’s Creating a Domestic Violence Court planning toolkit, this document focuses on enhancing the collaboration between courts handling domestic violence cases and supervised visitation and exchange programs. Offering a comprehensive step-by-step process, the addendum advises court staff and stakeholders on creating an effective relationship with supervised visitation centers or improving an existing one.
Judge John Leventhal is the author of “My Partner, My Enemy,” a book chronicling his experiences presiding over the Brooklyn Domestic Violence Court from its opening in June 1996 until 2008, the first felony domestic violence court in the nation.
The Windham County Integrated Domestic Violence Docket in Vermont is only the second such court in the state. This process evaluation includes an overview of the court planning process and operations, including goals and key principles, and a summary of stakeholder insights as they pertain to each of the key principles.