NCJ Number
160882
Date Published
1993
Length
27 pages
Annotation
The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office received a $300,000 grant in 1992 from the Bureau of Justice Assistance to create the Domestic Abuse Response Team (DART).
Abstract
The DART program is a centralized, coordinated, and multidisciplinary response to domestic violence that emphasizes victim safety and the prevention of further and more serious violence. The program includes two prosecutors, a victim advocate, and a counselor/social worker, and it combines the necessary personnel and resources in the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office to facilitate prosecution and to comprehensively address victim needs. By combining resources, the program can more easily provide continual and coordinated victim support. By focusing on misdemeanor cases, the program departs from the current practice of applying the most resources to felony cases. The program's primary objective is to prevent violence by intervening at the earliest possible time in a confrontation before the level of violence has escalated to more serious injury or even death. Intensive case management techniques used in the DART program are described, and benefits expected from program implementation are noted. Budget data and narrative information on the DART program are provided that focus on case management, staff orientation and training, and coordination with other agencies. A plan for collecting data on and evaluating the program is included, and responsibilities of the victim advocate are delineated.