Type:	Policy/Protocol
Title:	Specialist domestic violence court programme : guidance
Authors:	Her Majesty's Courts Service, Crown Prosecution Service & the Home Office
Keywords:	Specialist courts;Standards;Advocacy;Policing;Criminal justice responses
Year:	2005
Publisher:	Home Office
Notes:	General Overview:This UK document is a guide to the specialist domestic violence court programs being rolled out in 24 areas in the UK. Objective:It gives an overview of the context of domestic violence and describes how this program fits with the overall UK government response. Guidance on the implementation process for establishing court systems by April 2006, and the role of the Task Force are also outlined. Methods:The rationale, intended outcomes and criteria used for selecting the areas are provided. Discussion:The case for specialist domestic violence courts has been made through the evaluations of the first 5 domestic violence specialist court systems and of the Croydon and Caerphilly studies. Evaluation of specialist courts in Caerphilly and Croydon showed significant benefits for the courts and the victims of domestic violence, such as: enhancing the effectiveness of court and support services for victims; making it easier to support victims and share information; improving victim participation and satisfaction; increasing the number of domestic violence incidents reported to police that result in a court case; reducing the number of cases withdrawn or discontinued before trial; more appropriate sentencing; and strengthening cases by using evidence other than victim statements even if a victim withdrew. Results:The COMPASS (Crown Prosecution Service) electronic case management system to enable individual cases (from charge to outcome) to be tracked through the criminal justice system, and so that local partnerships can assess how effective their interventions have been. The Police Performance Assessment Framework (PPAF) can also track cases from the point of arrest. Conclusions:A list of desired components (Appendix 2) was identified in the evaluation in order to help agencies identify ways for improvement. Partnerships will develop implementation plans to address their delivery of the identified components. Appendix 1 contains a model of a specialist domestic violence court with common features summarised, and Appendix 3 covers evaluation and assessment with an outline of what should be monitored.
URI:	https://anrows.intersearch.com.au/anrowsjspui/handle/1/17778
Physical description:	24 p.
Appears in Collections:	Miscellaneous

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