established in Leeds in 1999. The basic features of
DVCs operating in England and Wales include focusing
on criminal (not civil) matters heard in Magistrates’
Courts, dealing mainly with pretrial hearings rather
than trials, identifying domestic violence cases and
thereafter either “clustering” or “fast-tracking” them,
having an advocate present to support victims, having a
specialist police officer present to provide information
to the court, and relying on multi-agency partnerships.
These courts attempt to achieve a variety of aims:
increase the effectiveness of court systems in providing
protection and support to victims and imposing appro-
priate sanctions on offenders; enhance the coordination
of criminal justice, public, voluntary, and community
sector agencies in working with victims and offenders;
reduce delays in the processing of cases; and reduce the
rates of revictimization.
In 2006, the Home Office announced its national
domestic violence plan, which has a tripartite struc-
ture, including “one-stop-shops” to provide a range of
advocacy and support services for victims, specialized
courts, and multi-agency responses for very-high-risk
victims. This plan capitalizes on local innovation and
documented evidence that such approaches can make
a positive difference in the lives of victims and their
children. Other recent national developments include
new guidance for the police in investigating domestic
violence, a revised prosecution policy published by
the Crown Prosecution Service, and a joint national
training program for the police and prosecutors. In
addition, the government provided £2 million to
underpin a new national training and accreditation
program for independent domestic violence advisors
(IDVAs), beginning in 2005. The support, informa-
tion, and advocacy provided by IDVAs to victims
were found to be crucial in the success of DVCs. The
Home Office plans to have 50 DVCs operational by
the end of 2007. Documented benefits include reduc-
ing the number of cases lost before trial, increasing
the number of defendants pleading guilty or being
convicted after trial, and providing advocacy for and
increasing the confidence of victims.
To summarize, research on DVCs in England and
Wales has found that these courts act as a beacon of
good practice in terms of victim-centered justice,
enhance victim satisfaction, send a message to the vic-
tim that she is being heard, send a message to the
offender that domestic violence will not be tolerated
and that the offense is taken seriously, increase public
confidence in the criminal justice system, provide acatalyst for multi-agency working, and promote the
coordination of efforts to support the victim.Case Progression in
Domestic Violence Courts
Understanding the strengths and limitations of DVCs
needs to be set not only in the local and national con-
texts within which these courts are embedded but also
in the context of the dynamics of domestic violence
itself, which is multi-faceted (incorporating emotional
and psychological abuse as well as crimes of violence
and/or sexual abuse). Research has shown that, under-
standably, victims are often reluctant to be witnesses in
court for a range of reasons: fear and intimidation;
frustration with the complexity and lengthiness of the
court process; concerns over housing, welfare, and
immigration status; and their own relationship with the
defendant and his with any of their children. It is there-
fore important to remember what a difficult decision a
victim faces when determining whether to participate
in a criminal justice case against someone with whom
she has been, or may continue to be, in an intimate
relationship.
Research shows that domestic violence cases tend
to progress through the criminal justice system differ-
ently than comparable cases without a domestic con-
text. In an early study on British prosecution practices,
compared with non-domestic-violence cases, more
domestic violence cases were not prosecuted, and
when they were, more defendants were found not
guilty. The impetus for developing DVCs emerged
from these failures. Therefore, one of the main aims of
DVCs is to reduce attrition of domestic violence cases,
and the available evidence suggests that case progres-
sion isdifferent when it occurs in DVCs. For example,
a study of more than 4,000 defendants processed by a
DVC in Memphis concluded that “prosecution was the
norm rather than the exception” as prosecutors pro-
ceeded in 80% of cases and more than two thirds of the
defendants pleaded guilty, were found guilty, or were
placed on diversion. British statistics show that convic-
tion rates in DVCs are higher than in other courts: 71%
compared with 59%.
Case progression in domestic violence cases is
problematic because of the important role ascribed to
victim participation: There is a well-documented and
pronounced relationship between victim participation
and the successful resolution of these cases. Even
within DVCs, victim participation remains a crucialDomestic Violence Courts——— 239D-Cutler (Encyc)-45463.qxd 11/18/2007 12:42 PM Page 239