THE SENATE                           S.C.R. NO.            6
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                    SENATE  CONCURRENT
                        RESOLUTION

  ENCOURAGING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE COURT OR
    DIVISION.



 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 or division would
34   improve the quality of life for victims, their children, and
35   the community by promoting victim safety and support and
36   defendant accountability; now, therefore,

 
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                                  S.C.R. NO.            6
                                                        S.D. 1
                                                        


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