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WHAT ARE THEY?    

New York's domestic violence courts build on court model first established with the Brooklyn Felony Domestic Violence Court in 1996. These courts are characterized by a single presiding judge; a fixed prosecutorial team; enhanced staffing (including resource coordinator and victim advocate positions); and a coordinated community response between the justice system and community stakeholders.

Currently there are nearly 30 domestic violence courts operating state-wide within supreme and misdemeanor courts in jurisdictions such as the Bronx, Nassau and Westchester Counties, the cities of Albany and Buffalo, and smaller cities like Binghamton and Glens Falls. 

New York State's domestic violence courts promote:

  • Community collaboration in response to domestic violence
  • Victim safety and access to court case information, social services, housing and counseling
  • Intensive monitoring to ensure offender compliance with orders of protection and a swift response to violators
  • Judicial supervision of cases from arraignment through post-disposition
  • Accountability by offenders and those agencies responsible for offender programs, offender monitoring and victim advocacy.
    HOW THEY WORK



To achieve a continuum of screening, referral, and monitoring of cases, New York's Domestic Violence Courts include the following key elements:

Dedicated Judge: The judge resides over cases from post-arraignment through disposition, monitors offenders and their compliance with orders of protection and other court mandates, such as program attendance, and promotes consistent and efficient case handling.

Resource Coordinator: The resource coordinator prepares offender and victim information for the judge, holds agencies accountable for accurate and prompt reporting, and identifies any problems that challenge court components.

On-Site Victim Advocate: The on-site victim advocate serves as primary contact to victims; creates safety plans, and coordinates housing, counseling, as well as other social services; and provides victims with information about criminal proceedings, and special conditions contained within their orders of protection. 

Coordinated Community Response: A coordinated community response involved increased information sharing, communication and coordination among criminal justice agencies and community-based social services; a consistent and collaborative response to domestic violence; and more opportunities for continued education and training on domestic violence and the courts.

Research and Evaluation: Continual research and evaluation allows the Courts to maintain feedback about court and stakeholder collaboration; analyze court and stakeholder procedures; examine the success of intervention programs; examine the use of victim service programs; and study offender compliance with court mandates and analyzes recidivism.


PARTNERS  
Partners include the New York State Unified Court System, county district attorneys, victim advocates, probation, law enforcement, civil attorneys, and the matrimonial bar.
NATIONAL PROJECTS  

The Center works with courts across the country (including Alabama, Mississippi and Vermont) to improve their court response to domestic violence. Click here to see our technical assistance page.

  PROJECT LIST:
FEATURED PUBLICATION
Predictors of Program Outcome and Recidivism at the Bronx Misdemeanor Domestic Violence Court
By Chandra Gavin and Nora Puffett
An analysis of mandate completion and criminal recidivism rates for defendants sentenced to a batterer intervention program and/or substance abuse treatment. The study found that defendants with more serious criminal histories were more likely to be mandated to substance abuse treatment, were more likely to be non-compliant with court mandates from the outset, and were more likely to be rearrested. Findings suggest that courts may be able to predict defendants' probability of success in programs and make sentencing decisions accordingly.
download PDF version

 

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