| WHITE PLAINS, NY - The Westchester Integrated Domestic Violence
Court opened today, making a reality the "One Family/One Judge" concept
advocated by Chief Judge Judith Kaye in the court system's handling of
domestic violence cases. The new court, the first of its kind to open in
the state, will have one judge address the multiple legal issues - criminal,
family and matrimonial - that can arise when domestic violence occurs, helping
to ensure victim safety, continuity and effective case resolution.
Chief Judge Kaye said, "A family in crisis should not be further burdened
with having to face a dizzying array of court venues and procedures from
which to choose. Yet in New York victims of domestic violence have needed
to file petitions in multiple courts in order to address all the possible
issues present in such a case: Criminal Court or Family Court for domestic
violence charges, Supreme Court for divorce, and Family Court or Supreme
Court for child support and custody. The Westchester Integrated Domestic
Violence Court will end this senseless overlap and confusion by allowing
one judge, instead of several, to hear all court matters involving domestic
violence victims and their families. I am so gratified that this vital
court has now become a reality and can give critical assistance to persons
victimized by domestic violence who are attempting to bring normalcy back
to their lives."
Chief Administrative Judge Jonathan Lippman added, "The recidivism rate
for domestic violence crimes is two and a half times that of crimes between
strangers - a fact that was the basis several years ago for instituting specialized
domestic violence courts that could handle these cases differently. And
while these courts have been very effective, we learned through this experience
that domestic violence cases by their very nature are often entangled with
a myriad of other related issues - child custody, support and divorce, for
example. The Westchester court builds on the successful model of the specialized
domestic violence courts, enlarging it to encompass all possible related
issues in a domestic violence case. I would like to take special note of
the invaluable assistance provided by Westchester County District
Attorney Jeanine Pirro, the Department of Probation, the Westchester defense
bar, and many non-profit agencies such as My Sister's Place, without which
the creation of this court would not have been possible."
Supreme Court Justice Daniel Angiolillo will preside over the Integrated
Domestic Violence Court in Westchester. This initiative also is being implemented
in locations in each of the four judicial departments of the state, including
Rensselaer, Bronx, Monroe, Suffolk and Onondaga Counties. |
