THE SENATE                           S.R. NO.              4
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                    SENATE  RESOLUTION

  ENCOURAGING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE COURT.



 1        WHEREAS, domestic violence continues to be the greatest
 2   threat to the safety and welfare of families in our community
 3   and is the leading cause of injury to women; and
 4   
 5        WHEREAS, it is estimated that every nine seconds, a woman
 6   is beaten by her husband or boyfriend, and one out of every
 7   three Americans has witnessed an incident of domestic violence;
 8   and
 9   
10        WHEREAS, the Hawaii Crime Brief, issued by the Attorney
11   General in April 1996, determined that nearly thirty per cent
12   of all homicides in Hawaii, from 1985-1994, were the result of
13   domestic violence, nearly twice the national average of fifteen
14   per cent for 1994; and
15   
16        WHEREAS, between 1989 and 1994, in Hawaii, nearly one
17   hundred women were killed, and most of the killers were
18   partners, boyfriends, husbands, or acquaintances; and
19   
20        WHEREAS, domestic violence has become a major issue in our
21   criminal justice system, and the sensitivity and potential
22   volatility of domestic violence requires a more focused
23   strategy on the part of the court system in the handling of
24   these cases; and
25   
26        WHEREAS, the Domestic Violence Working Group created by
27   House Concurrent Resolution No. 65, H.D. 1 (1999), recognizes
28   that a domestic violence court created to focus specifically on
29   domestic violence cases would provide improved, expeditious
30   judicial handling of these cases and a unified approach to all
31   stages of domestic violence; and
32   
33        WHEREAS, a domestic violence court would improve the
34   quality of life for victims, their children, and the community
35   by promoting victim safety and support and defendant
36   accountability; now, therefore,
37   
38        BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twentieth Legislature
39   of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2000, that this body
40   recognizes that the Judiciary, and the Family Court in

 
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 1   particular, has been very responsive to the problem of domestic
 2   violence, devoting resources and initiating procedures which
 3   have resulted in improved court practices; the commitment of
 4   the Judiciary in maintaining domestic violence as a priority
 5   has been very valuable, and this Resolution represents an
 6   enhancement in the community's efforts to address domestic
 7   violence; and
 8   
 9        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twentieth
10   Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2000,
11   that the Judiciary, in consultation with other departments and
12   agencies, as appropriate, is urged to establish by internal
13   administrative action a domestic violence court to promote:
14   
15        (1)  Immediate and consistent response to domestic
16             violence crimes;
17   
18        (2)  Intensive monitoring of defendants' compliance with
19             court orders, so that violations result in a swift
20             response;
21   
22        (3)  Oversight of victim safety through victim advocacy;
23   
24        (4)  Continuous judicial supervision of cases and improved
25             use of technology in gathering information; and
26   
27        (5)  Sharing of resources for interagency collaboration;
28   
29   and
30   
31        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
32   Resolution be transmitted to the Chief Justice of the Hawaii
33   Supreme Court, the Attorney General, the Director of Public
34   Safety, the Prosecuting Attorney of each county, the Chief of
35   Police of each county, and the Executive Directors of the
36   Hawaii State Coalition Against Violence and the Hawaii State
37   Commission on the Status of Women.
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41                           OFFERED BY:____________________________