Evaluation of the Judicial Oversight Demonstration Initiative: Baseline and Implementation Report

• NCJ Number: 220871
• Author(s): Christine DeStefano; Adele Harrell; Lisa Newmark; Christy Visher
• Date Published: December 2001
• Length: 76 pages
• Grant Number(s): 99-WT-VX-K005
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description

Annotation

This report describes the network of agencies participating in the Judicial Oversight Demonstration (JOD) Initiative, and provides an overview of three model programs.

Abstract

Success in reducing repeat offenses and ensuring victim safety in domestic violence cases depends largely on effective collaboration between the agencies, individuals seeking assistance from the system, advocates, and community services; lack of collaboration increases the risk that victims will experience repeated violence. Practitioners agree that the most effective reduction in domestic violence is through consistent and coordinated responses from the community combined with clear and immediate consequences from the judicial system for those who batter. The JOD Initiative testes the idea that a coordinated community response to domestic violence, a focused judicial response, and a systematic criminal justice response could improve victim safety and service provisions, as well as foster increased offender accountability. The priorities of the JOD initiative include victim safety and well-being, strong judicial commitment to positively affecting victim safety, and offender accountability, as well as improvement of the coordination and availability of victim services and advocacy within all segments of the criminal justice system. To hold offenders accountable, the JOD initiative encourages the development and enhancement of grassroots community and justice system partnerships, designed to assist offenders in changing abusive behavior. Each demonstration site is working to implement a strong, data-driven research component to measure impact to reduce or stop domestic violence, enhance victim safety and well-being, and hold batterers accountable. The priorities of the JOD initiative include: victim safety and well-being; a strong judicial commitment towards affecting victim safety and offender accountability; improved victim services and advocacy included in the coordination with all criminal justice systems and community; and assistance to offenders to change abusive behavior. Overviews of three model examples are provided for Dorchester, MA; Milwaukee, WI; and Washtenaw County, MI. Figures, appendix