This descriptive study documents the current domestic violence policies and practices of town and village justice courts located in one rural county of upstate, New York. The report highlights the challenges faced by many rural jurisdictions in implementing domestic violence best practices and measures the effectiveness of a traditional training for small jurisdictions.
This study compares case outcomes, victim satisfaction, and costs in a jurisdiction where the DA’s Office typically declines to file cases when the victim opposes prosecution (the Bronx) with a jurisdiction where the DA’s Office has a universal filing policy (Brooklyn).
This study compares case outcomes, victim satisfaction, and costs in a jurisdiction where the DA’s Office typically declines to file cases when the victim opposes prosecution (the Bronx) with a jurisdiction where the DA’s Office has a universal filing policy (Brooklyn).
Amy Pumo is the director of the Child and Adolescent Witness Support Program located in the Bronx District Attorney’s Office. She has a background in psychology and social work with a specialization in trauma. She spoke with Carolyn Turgeon about the project.
A paper outlining best practice recommendations for courts hearing domestic violence cases, emphasizing that judges should consider financial support and other issues with victim safety in mind.
A study conducted in collaboration with VCS Inc. that examines how criminal courts respond when domestic violence offenders are noncompliant with a court mandate to a batterer program. The study, based on a national survey of courts, batterer programs, and victim assistance agencies in all 50 states, detected overwhelming support for the goal of "accountability" in theory but a gap between theory and practice. A brief article highlighting the major findings appeared in Judicature.
The initial planning and implementation of the Oswego Sex Offense Court saw both challenges and benefits. The Honorable James McCarthy, the first of the New York State dedicated Sex Offense Court judges, discussed this planning process with the Center for Court Innovation:
Miriam Cyrulnik has been the presiding judge in the Youthful Offender Domestic Violence Court in Brooklyn, N.Y. since June 2004. She spoke with the Center for Court Innovation’s Carolyn Turgeon about her experiences.
The research examines the use of two batterer programs with disparate program philosophies by the Brooklyn Misdemeanor Domestic Violence Court, comparing outcomes among mandated defendants. The results suggest that neither underlying program philosophy nor program length alone predict either program completion or future violence.
