Domestic Violence Protocol

Legal Services of Northwest Ohio - 020050

Abstract Number: 020050

August 2002

Legal Services of Northwest Ohio brought together police, court officials, social service workers, and legal aid attorneys to create this Domestic Violence Task Force. This program is predicated on the belief that the only way to eradicate domestic violence is to attack it on a community wide scale and by ensuring that stiff laws exist to enforce it. Due to the commonplace occurrence of domestic violence victims recanting their testimony against the abuser, Defiance County Prosecutors, in conjunction with police officers, began collecting evidence against the abuser. As a result, when the case went to court, the trial would not be a spouse versus a husband but the State of Ohio versus the abuser therefore eliminating the ability for the victim to recant their testimony.

The task force created a protocol, which outlines the duties of law enforcement, judges, prosecutors, hospitals, and shelter workers when confronted with a victim of domestic violence. From this protocol, the task force determined that implementing a "preferred arrest" policy would be the most effective way to ensure the abuser was arrested and removed from the situation. "Preferred arrest" means that, in a situation of domestic violence, the preferred course of action is for law enforcement officials to arrest the aggressor or abuser. The first year after implementation of the protocol resulted in police filing charges in 77 percent of cases as opposed to just 33 percent in the previous year. To learn more about Legal Services of Northwest Ohio's Domestic Violence Task Force, access Defiance County's Domestic Violence Protocol, Defiance County's Domestic Violence Task Force and the Legal Services Corporation's Equal Justice Magazine article below.

Contact Information:

Pamela Weaner
Legal Services of Northwest Ohio
201 E. Second St.
Defiance, Ohio 43512
Phone: (419) 782-1828
Fax: (419) 782-5830
pweaner@lsnolaw.org

Additional Information:

• Eric Kleiman, "Defiance!: A Small Ohio Town Stands Up Against Domestic Violence," Legal Services Corporation's Equal Justice Magazine, Summer 2002, p. 21.  ( 1.26mb)
• Defiance County's Domestic Violence Protocol  ( 1.37mb)
• Defiance County's Domestic Violence Task Force  ( 266k)

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