Post by lace on Oct 26, 2006 13:05:41 GMT -5
[glow=red,2,300]Domestic violence courts softer on abusers: Group
Council monitored decade-old courts [/glow]
[glow=red,2,300]Safeguards for women `sliding back' [/glow]
Oct. 25, 2006. 01:00 AM
DEBRA BLACK
STAFF REPORTER
[glow=red,2,300]The city's domestic violence courts are failing women, says the executive director of the Women Abuse Council of Toronto. [/glow]
Vivien Green's comments followed the release of a study that suggests worrying trends in those courts including fewer offenders being put on probation as part of their sentences, more domestic violence charges being withdrawn and less jail time for repeat offenders.
"What we know about women abuse is that we need early intervention," Green told a news conference yesterday. "If an abuser gets the impression he can get away with it, he will continue to do it."
She's calling on the provincial government to step up to the plate and make sure the courts begin to work they way they were envisioned.
The council has watched the domestic violence courts since their inception a decade ago — and until this year the courts seemed to be making progress.
But now it appears the courts are "regressing and sliding back", said Green, pointing to the 2006 Women's Court Watch Project, which looked at the way 96 cases were handled in four of the five domestic violence courts in Toronto.
This is the fourth time the Women's Court Watch Project has looked at how the domestic violence courts are working. It is not a scientific sample, but rather a "snapshot" of the domestic violence court system, Green said.
The domestic violence courts have become "less rigorous and less effective" in meeting the objectives that they were set up to perform — which includes early intervention, vigorous prosecution and support and advocacy for victims, Green said.
According to the Women's Court Watch study — which was conducted by 30 student volunteers, beginning in February — 49 per cent of offenders found guilty received a probation term as part of their sentence in 2006, down from 92 per cent in 2003.
In 20 per cent of this year's monitored cases, all charges were withdrawn in court — compared to 10 per cent in 2003. What's more, there was a higher percentage of absolute discharges. In 2006, 15 per cent of the cases were resolved with an absolute discharge compared to 4 per cent in 2003.
Also noted was a big drop in the use of additional evidence in court other than the testimony of the victim. In 2006, less than half of cases that went to trial used additional evidence, down from 70 per cent in 2003.
The study suggests that less jail time was ordered, especially for those offenders who were failing to comply with existing court orders. In 2006, only 23 per cent of all breach charges resulted in the accused going to jail prior to trial. That's a substantial drop from 2003 when the accused was held in jail before the trial in 42 per cent of all breach cases.
The one bright spot in the report found that 67 per cent of offenders were found guilty or pleaded guilty in 2006 — higher than in 2003.
But, according to the council, the courts are failing to provide independent qualified language interpreters.
[glow=red,2,300]"The whole system has broken down," said Green. "There needs to be leadership and commitment. We need to take this issue seriously." [/glow]
www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?
Council monitored decade-old courts [/glow]
[glow=red,2,300]Safeguards for women `sliding back' [/glow]
Oct. 25, 2006. 01:00 AM
DEBRA BLACK
STAFF REPORTER
[glow=red,2,300]The city's domestic violence courts are failing women, says the executive director of the Women Abuse Council of Toronto. [/glow]
Vivien Green's comments followed the release of a study that suggests worrying trends in those courts including fewer offenders being put on probation as part of their sentences, more domestic violence charges being withdrawn and less jail time for repeat offenders.
"What we know about women abuse is that we need early intervention," Green told a news conference yesterday. "If an abuser gets the impression he can get away with it, he will continue to do it."
She's calling on the provincial government to step up to the plate and make sure the courts begin to work they way they were envisioned.
The council has watched the domestic violence courts since their inception a decade ago — and until this year the courts seemed to be making progress.
But now it appears the courts are "regressing and sliding back", said Green, pointing to the 2006 Women's Court Watch Project, which looked at the way 96 cases were handled in four of the five domestic violence courts in Toronto.
This is the fourth time the Women's Court Watch Project has looked at how the domestic violence courts are working. It is not a scientific sample, but rather a "snapshot" of the domestic violence court system, Green said.
The domestic violence courts have become "less rigorous and less effective" in meeting the objectives that they were set up to perform — which includes early intervention, vigorous prosecution and support and advocacy for victims, Green said.
According to the Women's Court Watch study — which was conducted by 30 student volunteers, beginning in February — 49 per cent of offenders found guilty received a probation term as part of their sentence in 2006, down from 92 per cent in 2003.
In 20 per cent of this year's monitored cases, all charges were withdrawn in court — compared to 10 per cent in 2003. What's more, there was a higher percentage of absolute discharges. In 2006, 15 per cent of the cases were resolved with an absolute discharge compared to 4 per cent in 2003.
Also noted was a big drop in the use of additional evidence in court other than the testimony of the victim. In 2006, less than half of cases that went to trial used additional evidence, down from 70 per cent in 2003.
The study suggests that less jail time was ordered, especially for those offenders who were failing to comply with existing court orders. In 2006, only 23 per cent of all breach charges resulted in the accused going to jail prior to trial. That's a substantial drop from 2003 when the accused was held in jail before the trial in 42 per cent of all breach cases.
The one bright spot in the report found that 67 per cent of offenders were found guilty or pleaded guilty in 2006 — higher than in 2003.
But, according to the council, the courts are failing to provide independent qualified language interpreters.
[glow=red,2,300]"The whole system has broken down," said Green. "There needs to be leadership and commitment. We need to take this issue seriously." [/glow]
www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?