April 2, 1999
Superior Court judges have decided to stop family violence, one household at a time. Their vehicle is a creative new stand alone center offering a unique collection of support services and consistent judicial oversight at one location to victims, batterers, and their children, even if criminal charges are never filed.
As of Monday, April 5, two judges at the Madge Bradley Family Violence Solutions Center will hear all new civil domestic violence restraining orders, criminal probation review hearings, and new paternity or divorce cases that begin as domestic violence cases in the Central Division.
Located in the former Municipal Court civil building at 1409 Fourth Avenue, the Solutions Center is one of the first major service improvements to result from court unification under the leadership of Presiding Judge Wayne L. Peterson.
Judges William S. Cannon and Joan Danielsen will meet often with individual probationers to monitor their pro-gress in their mandatory 52-week domestic violence recovery classes and other required activities. Oversight which used to end at class completion will continue for the full three years of probation to increase the incentive for behavioral change.
Judges may also require the same class in civil cases, where the victim did not file criminal charges, as a prerequisite for unsupervised visits with the children.
"Experience has shown me that approximately 80 percent of batterers seen in criminal court stay with their victims as a couple," said Superior Court Judge William S. Cannon, designer of the new program. "That choice is made for a variety of reasons, but without a change in attitude through education, we would expect future violence in that household."
Services previously available only to criminal victims will move to the front end of system with the filing for a civil restraining order. The City Attorney's Victim/Witness Advocates and police department personnel will have information on emergency shelters and help assess the victim's future safety. Family Services mediators will help both partners with child custody, and a Family Law Facilitator will advise on child support issues. For those already convicted in criminal court, vertical teams from the City Attorney and Public Defender will be on hand to counsel the perpetrator during his post-judgment appearances before Solutions Center judges.
"I'm thrilled that troubled families will be the first people to benefit from the court's reorganization," said Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Pam Slater. "A multi-disciplinary approach such as this is desperately needed to help victims and batterers change the behaviors that keep them entangled in family violence."
The judges will equally divide the calendars, one hearing civil issues in the morning while the other takes the criminal load. In the afternoon, the division will reverse. But once a Solutions Center judge hears a domestic violence matter, he or she will stay with that family through any subsequent domestic filings.
"Having one judge for the family will allow the judge to understand their circumstances and will alert the judge to related cases that might not be mentioned otherwise," said Presiding Judge Wayne L. Peterson. "For example, there may already be an active criminal DV case when a woman comes in for a civil restraining order. The judge will see that and likely require supervised visits to protect the children until the perpetrator has completed his reeducation."
"We know that the reluctance of the victim to hold the batterer accountable for his actions perpetuates the violence," said County Supervisor Dianne Jacob. "With so many support agencies offering creative solutions, the victim was a better chance to view her options differently."
Judge Cannon will hold violent offenders strictly accountable for their actions and will accept no excuses as he enforces the terms of probation to the letter.
"The abuser can learn to change his behavior with jail time or without," Judge Cannon said. "The choice is really up to him."
The actual arraignment and trial of criminal domestic violence offenses will remain at the main courthouse at 220 West Broadway. The case will transfer to the Madge Bradley Family Violence Solutions Center after sentence and any incarceration.
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