NCJ Number
173041
Date Published
Unknown
Length
149 pages
Annotation
This instruction curriculum, which contains participant and instructor information, is designed to help judges manage their courts and makes decisions that take into account victims' needs.
Abstract
The first session focuses on domestic violence. It defines domestic violence, reviews the scope of the problem, summarizes attributes common to batterers and domestic violence victims, and presents judicial strategies for handling domestic violence cases in a more effective and enlightened manner. A session on judicial liability and immunity identifies cases in which judges have been found liable for their handling of litigants, witnesses, and others involved in the judicial system. Another session focuses on the right of confrontation as it affects the videotaped and closed-circuit testimony of children and others. A session on judicial ethics analyzes the proper method of handling a crime victim who wants to discuss a pending case with the judge on an ex parte basis. Another objective of this session is to determine whether judges participating in the community on behalf of victims' interest groups and the treatment of offenders is appropriate judicial conduct. Remaining topics covered in the instruction sessions are public perceptions of the judiciary, criminal mediation, and sentencing. A section on resources includes a checklist for handling victims of crime, sample cartoon overheads, and a crime victims' bill of rights. Trainer's notes and sample overheads accompany each session.