Manhattan's Specialized Domestic Violence Court

• NCJ Number: 207828
• Author(s): Richard R. Peterson Ph.D.
• Date Published: December 2004
• Length: 8 pages
• Corporate Author: New York City Criminal Justice Agency, Inc
• Sale Source: New York City Criminal Justice Agency, Inc
• Publication Format: News/Media
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: New York Criminal Justice Agency Research Brief No. 7, December 2004.

Annotation

This study analyzed the impact of a specialized Domestic Violence (DV) court in New York.

Abstract

Courts specializing in domestic violence cases have been proliferating around the county. These specialized DV courts are designed to increase defendant accountability, promote victim safety, and coordinate the system-wide response to domestic violence. The current study compared the DV cases processed in Manhattan prior to the establishment of the specialized Criminal DV Court with DV cases processed after the court’s establishment. Data were drawn from the New York City Criminal Justice Agency (CJA) database on 990 DV cases from the third quarter of 1998, before the specialized DV court was in operation, and 1,249 DV cases from the first quarter of 2001, after the court’s establishment. Interviews were also conducted with Assistant District Attorneys (ADA’s). Results of statistical analyses revealed three important findings: (1) the specialized DV court accomplished case processing in less time than traditional court; (2) the establishment of the DV court led to improved identification of domestic violence cases; and (3) the DV court improved the monitoring of domestic violence offenders. Policy implications are discussed, including the need for more research concerning the impact of increased offender monitoring on victim safety in DV cases. Figures