Domestic Violence Courts

• Creating a Domestic Violence Court [1]
  Adapting the Model to your community - A Planning Toolkit
   
• DV Court Performance Measures-Center for Court Innovation.
    [2]
• Two Decades of Specialized Domestic Violence Courts: A Review of the Literature 
  [3]An overview of the research literature on specialized domestic violence courts. 
   
• A National Portrait of Domestic Violence Courts 
  [4]This study explores the goals, policies, and practices of criminal domestic violence courts nationwide. 
   
• A National Compendium of Domestic Violence Courts 
  [5]This compendium serves as a companion document to A National Portrait of Domestic Violence Courts. 
   
• Judicial Review Hearings: Keeping Courts on the Case. 
    [6]
• Domestic Violence in Rural Communities: Applying Key Principles of Domestic Violence Courts in Smaller Jurisdictions  [7]
  A discussion of how key principles from urban domestic violence courts are transferable to rural and suburban dockets.
   
• What Makes a Domestic Violence Court Work? 
  [8]An overview of the principles that underlie successful domestic violence courts. 
   
• Domestic Violence Court: Case Processing Update and Recidivism Analysis [9] 
   
• Creating A Domestic Violence Court: Guidelines and Best Practices [10] 
   
• Domestic Violence Court Self-Assessment: Revisiting Goals, Challenges and Progress [11]
  For communities that have established a specialized domestic violence court, a self-assessment is an opportunity to revisit the goals and objectives identified as part of the initial planning process.
   
• Language Access Assessment and Planning Tool for Federally Conducted and Federally Assisted Programs [12]
   
• A Guide to Human Trafficking for State Courts [13]
  The National Association for Court Management Guide to Addressing Human Trafficking in the State Courts is intended to support the efforts of courts not only in their traditional role of independent adjudicators, but also in their role as justice system and community leaders.
   

Treatment

• Implementing Mental Health Treatment for Batterer Program Participants Interagency Breakdowns and Underlying Issues.
    [14]
• Court Responses to Batterer Program Non-compliance: A National Survey 
  [15]A brief article highlighting the goals, policies, and practices of criminal domestic violence courts nationwide.
   
• Court Responses to Batterer Program Noncompliance: A National Perspective  [16]
  A study that examines how criminal courts respond when domestic violence offenders are noncompliant with a court mandate to a batterer program. The study, based on a national survey of courts, batterer programs, and victim assistance agencies in all 50 states. 
   

Veterans

• Veterans in the Justice System: Treatment of Violent Offenders 
  [17]Understanding the Military’s Response to Domestic Violence: Tools for Civilian Advocates 
  Part 1 [18], Part 2 [19], Part 3 [20], Part 4 [21], and Part 5 [22].
   

Civil Protection Orders, Laws, & Policies 

• Model Policy for Imposing, Modifying and Lifting No Contact Orders: For Prosecutors [23] | For Judges  [24]
  These publications sets forth an analysis for judges and prosecutors to use when facing difficult decisions regarding the entering or modifying of no contact orders in criminal domestic violence cases. Even judges experienced in handling domestic violence cases and criminal no-contact orders might find the Judicial Analysis at the end of this paper very useful.  
   
• Civil Protection Orders: A Guide for Improving Practice (2010)
  [25]This publication is known as the CPO Guide.  The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, in partnership with the Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women developed the CPO Guide as a tool designed to support the work of professional dedicated to enhancing the effectiveness of the civil protection order process. It provides guidance for advocates, attorneys, judges, law enforcement personnel, and prosecutors to help ensure that protection orders are effectively issued, served, and enforced across the country.
   
• Full Faith and Credit: A Passport to Safety, A Judge's Guide (VAWA 2005 Edition, 2010) 
  [26]This publication is also known as Passport to Safety and is designed to facilitate the efforts of states, tribes, and territories to implement Full Faith & Credit Provisions of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).  Since its initial printing in 1999, VAWA has been amended twice - once in 2000 and again in 2005.  
   
• A Prosecutors’ Guide to Full Faith and Credit for Protection Orders: Protecting Victims of Domestic Violence. 
  [27]Prosecutors can enhance victim safety by holding offenders accountable for violations of protection orders.  This guide provides prosecutors with practical information on enforcing protection orders including: charging decisions; issues to address at preliminary hearings; and trial and sentencing considerations. 
   
• Protecting Victims of Domestic Violence. A Law Enforcements Officer’s Guide to Enforcing Protection Orders Nationwide. 
  [28]Law enforcement officers play a crucial role in protecting victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking. This publication is intended to provide guidance to officers on the full faith and credit provision of VAWA and the enforcement of civil and criminal protection orders.  
   

• NIJ Special Report-Practical Implications of Current Domestic Violence Research: For Law Enforcement, Prosecutors and Judge. 
    [29]
• A Handbook for Police Responding to Domestic Violence: Promoting Safer Communities by Integrating Research & Practice.
    [30]
• Court Interpretation in Protection Order Hearings: Judicial Benchcard [31]
    [30]

Children & Domestic Violence

• A Judicial Guide to Child Safety in Custody Cases (2009) [32] 
  Because custody cases involving abuse have intermingled issues of safety and access, judges require effective and accessible information and tools to aid their decision-making. The Judicial Guide contains 14 bench cards which provide an easy-to-use checklist system for judges at critical decision-making points throughout the case.
   
• Navigating Custody & Visitation Evaluations in Cases With Domestic Violence: A Judge's Guide 
  [33]As the volume of cases involving custody, parent access, and domestic violence continues to rise, judges are relying on professional custody evaluators to inform their decisions more than ever before.  This Navigating Guide is designed to serve as a practical tool for judges on how to interpret and act on professional child custody evaluations when domestic violence is involved in family law cases.  The Guide includes four bench cards and supplementary materials.
   
• Children’s Exposure to Violence: A Comprehensive National Survey
    [34]
• Children's Exposure to Intimate Partner Sexual Assault [35] 
  An introduction to the important and neglected issue of children's exposure to intimate partner sexual assault involving their parents. 
   
• Supervised Visitation: What Courts Should Know When Working with Supervised Visitation Programs 
  [36]A guide to promoting greater safety of children and adults during supervised visitation. 
   
• Zero to Three: Critical Issues for the Juvenile and Family Court
  [37]