NCJ Number
235403
Date Published
2010
Length
88 pages
Annotation
This publication is an overview of the important trends in domestic violence issues (DV) that were part of the 2009 Legislative Session.
Abstract
The new legislation touches on a wide range of topics while a number of trends emerged this year, including: confidentiality protections, increasing firearms prohibitions, legislative initiatives on teen dating violence, and recognition of the lethality of strangulation. Legislation this year also continued some trends from last year, including: acknowledging the link between domestic violence and animal abuse, increasing employment protections from victims of domestic violence, and allowing for electronic monitoring of domestic violence perpetrators. An overview is provided of the important trends that were part of the 1999 Legislative Session regarding child custody and visitation in the presence of DV; confidentiality for victims of DV; electronic monitoring for perpetrators of DV; employment protection for victims of DV; firearms prohibitions for perpetrators of DV; housing protections for victims of DV; new protections, processes for registering and additional methods of serving protection orders; development and implementation of dating violence curriculum in schools; expanded stalking protections; and protections for victim testimony. In addition, States continue to develop legislation designed to protect DV victims and their families, such as: DV Fatality Review Teams, DV courts, DV training, and perpetrator detention.