On June 2-3, 2016, ALSO sponsored teams from the U.S. Virgin Islands and Louisiana to attend the Brooklyn Integrated Domestic Violence Court Open House held by the Center for Court Innovation (CCI) through our LINK Travel Assistance Program. The Virgin Islands team included representatives from the Virgin Islands Department of Justice, Virgin Islands Police Department, the Law Enforcement Planning Commission, Virgin Islands Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Council (VIDVSAC), and Virgin Islands Superior Court. Louisiana’s team was comprised of representation from Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and Baton Rouge City Court.

The CCI open house was convened to introduce participants to the structures, approaches, policies, and procedures, of the Brooklyn Integrated Domestic Violence Court. The court uses a “one family/one judge” approach that allows for:

• Judges to preside over all civil and criminal matters involving the same parties in cases involving domestic violence issues;
• Tighter monitoring of offenders through compliance checks; and
• Greater accountability for violations of protection orders and conditions of release, probation, and parole.

Benefits of the integrated approach include:

• Conservation of resources through greater efficiency;
• Better judicial access to important information due to close coordination with relevant actors including probation and parole, civil attorneys, and others; and
• The ability to work closely with advocates and services that can benefit survivors and help them meet their immediate and longer-term needs - e.g., housing, employment, and benefits.

For more information, check out the Key Principles of Integrated Domestic Violence courts.

Teams from fifteen states and territories participated in the CCI Open House, including the LINK-sponsored Virgin Islands and Louisiana teams. On day one, participants learned about New York’s response to domestic violence from Justice Deborah Kaplan, Statewide Coordinating Judge for Family Violence Cases. Darren Mitchell and Kate Wurmfeld from CCI engaged the group in issue-spotting exercises. Heidi Notario of Casa de Esperanza: National Latin@ Network, and Hannah Pennington and Molly Mangus of the NYC Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence encouraged participants to think critically about working with underserved populations. Johnny Rice II of the Vera Institute of Justice spoke about considerations for supervised visitation and monitored exchange services, and Jim Henderson, of the Battered Women’s Justice Project Probation Project, provided insights into the important roles that offender monitoring play in achieving compliance and non-recidivism. The day concluded with the attending teams developing plans to apply what they learned after arriving back home.

On day two, participants visited the Brooklyn Family Justice Center and Kings County Supreme Court, where they heard from judges and other court staff, prosecutors, public defenders, civil attorneys, and advocates about integrated domestic violence court policies, practices, and procedures, and how they work together to hold offenders accountable and keep victims and their families safe.

Both LINK-sponsored teams have set goals that will draw upon what they learned at the open house. The Baton Rouge team will develop an integrated online system to connect the City, Family, District, and Juvenile courts. The team hopes to eventually implement a one family/one judge approach to domestic violence cases. In order to address needs of the entire family and provide seamless service provision, the Virgin Islands team plans to improve awareness and coordination among resource partners and stakeholders. This work will involve a broad range of agencies and organizations that address domestic violence including law enforcement, the Department of Human Services, the Department of Justice, public defenders, legal services, the Superior Court, victim services and other providers, non-profit organizations, and faith-based organizations.

The teams were unanimously positive about attending the open house. “The opportunity to observe best practices and network with others are invaluable experiences,” the VI team stated in their LINK action plan.

Written by Mary Malefyt Seighman
ALSO Director of Policy and Justice Initiatives

In partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women, ALSO's LINK Travel Assistance Program subsidizes STOP Formula Grant state and territory administrators and sub-grantees to attend national conferences and trainings where they gain knowledge and experience to share and implement in their local communities.