Gender and Family Justice

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 Gender and Family Justice team provides 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.

DV RISC Clearinghouse

To support a coordinated response to domestic violence homicide prevention and reduction, the Domestic Violence Resource for Increasing Safety and Connection (DV RISC), created with the support of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), is a national resource center featuring a wide variety of resources on risk and lethality assessments, multi-disciplinary community readiness tools, and training and technical assistance for communities working to identify and implement effective strategies.

Visit DVRISC.org

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.
Abusive Partner Accountability and Engagement

We use research and the experience of practitioners to help communities create new pathways for abusive partners to develop responsibility, healing, and hope for themselves, their families, and the
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 thousands of professionals each year on improving their approach to domestic violence, sexual abuse, dating violence, and stalking.
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

The Justice for Families program supports communities that are improving how the justice system approaches families experiencing domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and dating violence.

Publications & Digital Media

Label:Video

The Tucson City Domestic Violence Court - Information and Videos

The Tucson City Domestic Violence Court is a high-volume criminal misdemeanor court. The Court specifically provides services and safety for Deaf victims of domestic violence through their partnership with Emerge! Center Against Domestic Abuse and the Community Outreach Program for the Deaf.

Aiding Survivors, Gender and Family Justice, Strengthening Families
Label:Video

The Tulsa County Domestic Violence Court - Videos

The Tulsa County Domestic Violence Court in Oklahoma is a criminal court model that handles misdemeanor and felony domestic violence cases and coordinates with family court in an urban setting. Learn from the court and stakeholder team about this specialized domestic violence court and how it tackles offender accountability, working collaboratively, and victim safety.

Aiding Survivors, Addressing Racial Disparities, Gender and Family Justice, Strengthening Families
Label:Publication

Building Multiple Pathways to Healing, Safety, and Accountability to Address Intimate Partner Violence

Despite the devastating impact intimate partner violence has on communities, responses to people who cause harm have evolved little over the past few decades. This article, originally published in Families in Society, outlines New York City’s comprehensive approach to engaging people who cause harm in intimate relationships, featuring real examples from our court- and community-based programs.

Gender and Family Justice, Reducing Violence

See All Publications and Digital Media →

News

Healing Together from Domestic Violence

Healing and accountability took center stage at our RISE team's Domestic Violence Awareness Month rally and resource fair in Harlem.
To End Domestic Violence, We Need a Holistic Approach

Despite the devastating impacts of intimate partner violence on communities across the country, traditional responses to it often fall short of what survivors and the people most impacted really need. In working with survivors in New York City and nationwide, we've seen firsthand the importance of taking a multifaceted approach to ending domestic violence.
New Women’s Justice Commission Visits Brownsville

A new national commission bringing awareness to the unique issues women face in the criminal justice system started its journey with a visit to our Brownsville Community Justice Center.

View Archive →

We work with reformers around the world.

Do you need help solving a problem, launching a new initiative or improving an old one?

Contact Our Experts →