A pioneer in the creation of specialized domestic violence courts, the Center works to rethink and improve court responses to intimate partner violence.
The Center has helped to establish domestic violence courts across New York State to improve justice for survivors of intimate partner violence. We also work with communities nationally and internationally, helping them create specialized court responses of their own. While the components of individual courts vary, each has a commitment to victim safety and offender accountability, providing connections to services for victims and their children, as well as abusive partner intervention programs for those who have caused harm in the relationship. Each court also has a specially-trained team of on-site staff and judges.
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.
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.
At its most basic level, a domestic violence court is a dedicated docket that schedules all domestic-violence-related cases involving intimate partners on the same days and times. In doing so, courts recognize that domestic violence cases involving intimate partners are high-risk and present unique safety concerns. Hearing these cases at the same time allows courts to efficiently dedicate staff and resources to ensure better and safer outcomes.
Partners include the New York State Unified Court System, county district attorneys, victim advocates, probation, law enforcement, civil attorneys, and the matrimonial bar.