Significant Interventions: Coordinated Strategies to Deter Family Violence (From Families in Court: A National Symposium, P 1-36, 1989, -- See NCJ-120234)

• NCJ Number: 120236
• Author(s): MP Hofford; R Gable
• Date Published: 1989
• Length: 36 pages
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Type: Conference Material
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: The symposium was held in Reno, Nevada, May 14-17, 1989. For microfiche, see NCJ-120234.

Annotation

This paper presents an argument in favor of court-system interventions against family violence and suggests that a broader view of the violence occurring in families is necessary and critical for a coordinated, significant response.

Abstract

Beginning in the late 1970s, numerous commissions, study groups, demonstration projects, and individual authors have issued recommendations dealing with the criminal justice system's response to various aspects of domestic violence. Notable among those were the 1978 U.S. Commission on Civil Rights meeting, which was the first national level effort addressing the problems of spousal assault, and the 1984 Attorney General's Task Force on Family Violence which made recommendations with regard to the justice system, research efforts, evaluation of treatment programs, and legislative action. Throughout the years, however, there has been a search for the best court structure suited to deal with family violence; while the criminal courts can dispense punishment to guilty parties, they are not as well suited to provide the guidance and supportive intervention of the civil, family, and juvenile courts. A coordinated and integrated approach to the problem must be developed by extracting from each of the relevant court system components in a manner which is consistent with an overall goal for family intervention. Three courts (in Portland, Oregon; Quincy, Massachusetts; and Wilmington, Delaware) have been involved in the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges' Family Violence Project, the goal of which was to implement and evaluate new, coordinated court procedures for the handling of domestic violence and families with multiple forms of abuse. The majority of cases accepted for project intervention have included male defendants in families with children; offenses include assault, terroristic threatening, offensive touching, violation of restraining order, kidnapping, and attempted murder. Evaluation activities are designed to give the project an understanding of the type of cases selected, their experience in the court system, and the outcome of the intervention. The major hurdles in attempting system change are described, and recommendations for future policy development and program implementation are given. The overriding concern is that all parts of the system need to change in concert. 20 references.