Domestic Violence Court

Domestic Violence (DV) Court is part of the District Court. Domestic Violence Court seeks to increase the accountability of defendants, to enhance victim safety and to provide increased information sharing.

Domestic Violence Court provides:

Immediacy: The Court's response to domestic violence will be immediate, certain, and consistent. It will include punishment, batterers' intervention and substance abuse treatment.

Safety: The Court seeks to enhance victim safety by providing information to victims on social services and available housing. Up-to-date case status will be provided to the victims.

Accountability: The Court seeks to provide intensive scrutiny of the defendant's compliance with court orders, enabling swift action by the Court when dealing with violators.

Supervision: The Court will have full knowledge of the history of each case, therefore, enabling defendant's to be held accountable for their actions while a case is pending.

Coordination: The presence of a judge and resource coordinator will lead to increased sharing of case information between the District Court, Family Court, law enforcement, social services and criminal justice agencies.

 

A Guide Containing Options & Resources on Confronting Family Violence
Developed by the County Executive's Task Force on Family Violence