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Opens in new windowEnding domestic violence? The Dallas Solution
A new way to combat domestic violence, the unique zero-tolerance initiative combines specialized police units, trained counselors and a dedicated domestic violence court headed by a trailblazing young judge. Australian News Reporter, Mel Doyle, interviews Judge Roberto Canas of Dallas, TX.
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Opens in new windowHow a Dallas County judge combats the deadly mix of domestic violence and guns
For two years, criminal court Judge Roberto Cañas has spearheaded an effort to educate and train judges on a Dallas County gun surrender program aimed at getting guns out of abusers' hands. Cañas, who oversees a misdemeanor domestic violence court, says there's finally action behind the talk.
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Opens in new windowMichigan judge receives William H. Rehnquist Award
Chief Justice of the United States John G. Roberts Jr. presented the William H. Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence to Michigan Judge Elizabeth "Libby" Hines on Nov. 15 in Washington, D.C. Judge Hines, a district court judge in Ann Arbor, is the 23rd recipient of the Rehnquist Award, the most prestigious award presented to a state court judge.
Children's Safe Harbor Neutral Exchange Center
Children's Safe Harbor provides a neutral place for families to use when exchanging children for parenting times. The neutral exchange site offers safety and manages potential conflict when parents are exchanging their children for regular parenting time. Hear how Judge Rosemary Collins used judicial leadership in her community to create this important resource for individuals coming before the court on parenting cases involving domestic violence.
Cultural Responsiveness Training for Domestic Violence Bench in Whatcom County, Washington
Presented by: Hon. Raquel Montoya-Lewis
Hear how Judge Montoya-Lewis, the first Native American Judge appointed to Superior Court in her county, revised the domestic violence curriculum for the State Judicial College to include cultural responsiveness, bias, privilege and oppression and the ways in which these important topics impact the way the court is processing and responding to domestic violence cases.
Dedicated Family Court Judge in Newly Created New Orleans' New Family District Court
Hear how Judge Bernadette D'Souza paved the way for dedicated judges in a newly created family district court in order to ensure that judges have the experience and training to handle complicated domestic violence cases appropriately and consistently.
Dekalb County Magistrate Court Specialized Compliance Project
After a 12-month protective order is issued, respondents are required to enroll in a state-certified family violence intervention program. The court also has a relationship with DeKalb Workforce Development and the Georgia Department of Labor that allows respondents to enroll in their job search program with weekly progress reports sent to the court’s compliance officer. Additionally, the court maintains a list of community resources, including housing and social service providers. Hear how Judge Berryl Anderson created this specialized docket.
Firearms and Domestic Violence: Effective Court Response Part II
Presented by: HON. STEVEN AYCOCK, AND NANCY HART, JD
NCJFCJ's Judge-in-Residence, Steven Aycock, and Senior Program Attorney, Nancy Hart, present an interactive discussion on effective ways courts can respond to domestic violence cases involving firearms. Around the country, courts are struggling with the practicalities of identifying domestic violence cases where firearms are present, verifying legitimate and safe transfers to third parties, and seizing and storing firearms owned by domestic violence offenders. This webinar builds on a previous discussion of federal laws related to domestic violence and firearms, but can be viewed independently by anyone wanting to learn more about best practices surrounding this complex issue. Faculty will discuss effective examples from around the country, work through case scenarios, and field questions from participants. This exciting webinar was designed for judges and court officials and was offered by the NCJFCJ, and the National Judicial Institute on Domestic Violence.
Milwaukee County Probation Review Hearings
In 1999, three jurisdictions—Dorchester District in Boston, Massachusetts; Milwaukee County, Wisconsin; and Washtenaw County, Michigan— embarked on an ambitious effort to improve criminal justice and community responses to domestic violence. The Judicial Oversight Demonstration (JOD) Initiative, funded by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women and managed by the Vera Institute of Justice, brought together in each site judges and defense attorneys and prosecutors, advocates for women and batterer intervention specialists, probation agents, police, and others to develop new ways to enhance victim safety and the oversight of offenders in their communities. Hear how Judge Jeffrey Kremers used judicial leadership to implement probation review hearings in Milwaukee County.
The New Hampshire Domestic Violence Fatality Review Committee (DVFRC)
The DVFRC was created in 1999 by Executive Order. The Committee was established as part of the Governor's Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence, originally created in 1993, to provide systemic review of domestic violence homicides in order to reduce the number of future fatalities. The Committee attempts to identify high risk factors, current practices, gaps in system responses and barriers to safety in domestic violence situations related to the death. This results in recommendations aimed at improving systematic responses in an effort to prevent similar deaths in the future. The Committee provides the recommendations to the participating agencies and asks them to take actions consistent with their own mandates. The Committee publishes the recommendation and the agency responses to those recommendations in an Annual Report.Hear how Judge Susan Carbon used judicial leadership to help create the DVFRC.