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Explore innovative Domestic Violence (DV) efforts & Community Response in Glendale City Court & Tucson Municipal Court. Learn about specialized DV treatment courts, grant-funded initiatives, and coordinated community response strategies. Discover how these courts enhance victim services, hold offenders accountable, and promote safety through collaborative services.
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Glendale City Court Tucson Municipal Court Council Communications DV Efforts Elizabeth R. Finn, Presiding Judge, Glendale City Court efinn@glendaleaz.com Wendy Million, DV Court Judge, Tucson Municipal Court Wendy.million@tucsonaz.gov
Executive Summary • Snapshot of the Court for the month • Developed in consultation with the Mayor and Council • Changed through the years based on requests from Council • No surprises
City Court Update • Invite Mayor and Council to meet with me once month • Never more than 3 people at a time to avoid any open meeting law issues • Explain Executive Summary • Answer any questions • Tour the courthouse
Annual Report • Indicates what was potential last year • Highlights events of the year • Identifies projects for the next year
Glendale DV Efforts • Formed Glendale DV Task Force in 2004 • Implemented Specialized Problem -Solving DV Treatment Court in 2004 with no additional dollars • Previously, all manual paper to and from providers • Now judge based monitoring
Glendale DV Efforts • Formed Glendale DV Task Force in 2004 • Implemented Specialized Problem -Solving DV Treatment Court in 2004 with no additional dollars • Previously, all manual paper to and from providers • Now judge based monitoring
Glendale DV Efforts Winner of ’05 Supreme Court “Justice for a Better Arizona” achievement award
DOJ VAWA Grant 2005 • Compliance Specialist • Court-Based Advocate • Cell phones for DV Detectives and Advocates • Pro Tem Judge over lunch hour for protective orders • OT for DV Warrant Service • Interactive DV Website • Training
2009 DOJ VAWA Grant • Major issue is service of orders so they will be in effect • Created police civilian Protective Order Coordinator position • Grant partners were: Glendale, Peoria, Avondale and Surprise • Added: Apache Junction, Chandler, El Mirage, Gilbert, Goodyear, Scottsdale and Tempe
2012 VAWA Grant • Continued funding for Protective Order Coordinator • Funded printing special domestic violence offense report • Created high lethality position • Continues funding for warrant overtime and bilingual Court advocate for protective orders as well as hearings over the lunch hour
Orders • 2 fulltime PO Clerks on duty at Glendale City Court • Plus grant funded advocate
Needs.. • Focus on first contact with victim • Access coercive control and lethality of abusive relationships • Possibility of obtaining search warrants for GPS devices on defendants who are violating release conditions returning to victim • Training officers and advocates to collect evidence of intimidation
Needs… • Training prosecutors how to use evidence for more serious offenses • Training prosecutors how to proceed on cases without victims • Coordinating resources within a jurisdiction • Coordinating resources within a region
Domestic Violence and a Coordinated Community Response • Tucson City Court’s Domestic Violence Court: • Established in 2012 with Office of Violence Against Women, Department of Justice Grant • Named a Domestic Violence Mentor Court by the Office Against Women in 2017 This project was supported by Grant No 2017-TA-AX-K006 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, US Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication / program / exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office of Violence Against Women.
Domestic Violence and a Coordinated Community Response • Domestic Violence Court goals: • Hold offenders accountable • Enhance victim services and safety • Domestic Violence Court components: • Trained personnel • Judge, prosecutors, defense attorneys, staff, probation officers/monitors, interpreters. • Victim advocates • Preferably independent of government .
What is a coordinated community response? • Communication between systems and systems players. • Police, prosecutors from different offices • Court and DV treatment providers • Court, attorneys and probation- different levels. • Mental health connections, interpreters, substance abuse treatment providers • Advocates-within confidentiality restrictions
Coordinated Community Response • Consistent Forms, Procedures and Policies • Prosecutors have standard DV court requirements to qualify a case • Review hearings for everyone on probation • Victim autonomy – in most cases • Risk assessments disclosed to everyone • BIPs must report to the court every hearing
Examples of Our CCR • DV Court Review Hearings • Firearms surrender program • Probation/ Advocates/ Treatment providers monthly meeting • DV Court meetings • Collaboration between Community Outreach for the Deaf and Advocate agency
How to Do It • You don’t need a grant! • You need a leader! • Call a meeting • Essential components: • Training • Review Hearings • Advocates
DV Mentor Court • Tucson City Court DV Court is a federally recognized Mentor Court- one of 12 in the country • We can come to your jurisdiction: • For training: For attorneys, judges, court staff, probation and advocates • We can provide forms, policies and procedures • We have the funding to come to you!
DV Mentor Court • Your personnel can come observe court anytime in Tucson! (we don’t have the funding for your trips however) • Webpage: • https://www.tucsonaz.gov/DV/Home/MentorCourt • Email us: • Dvmentorcourt@tucsonaz.gov • Wendy Million, Tucson City Magistrate: • Wendy.Million@tucsonaz.gov • wmillion@courts.az.gov (after September)