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Since February of 1995 when the District Attorney's Office received
an OCJP grant to start a domestic violence vertical prosecution
unit in the South County, the program has been expanded to North
County. The concept and goals remain the same. The unit is a vertical
prosecution program whose purpose is to enhance prosecution of spousal
and domestic violence cases and minimize the emotional trauma to
victims during the legal proceedings. The vertical handling ensures
continuity as the case progresses through the system. The unit's
staff is trained on the dynamics of domestic violence and function
as a team as they follow each case from the filing review stage
through its completion.
The Domestic Violence Unit is a multidisciplinary team of attorneys,
advocates, investigators and support staff who prosecute only domestic
violence cases. Domestic violence crimes are unique. The defendant
and victim know each other and often have children together. Victims
are often reluctant to follow through because of fear, both physical
and economic, a misplaced sense of loyalty to the perpetrator, guilt,
concern for the children or other reasons. The abuse unless broken
becomes cyclic.
For these reasons, the Domestic Violence Unit is comprised, not
only of prosecutors, but also advocates and support staff. They
provide assistance to victims by giving them information about counseling,
medical treatment and court assistance. The advocate is someone
who keeps them informed of the court proceedings, results and other
pertinent information. They assist the victim through the court
process, accompany them to court, refer them to needed community
resources and assist them in getting reimbursement for their injuries
or counseling for the victim and their children.
Click Here
For Service and Resources
The Domestic Violence Unit also handles stalking cases.
These are very difficult cases because victims often believe that
reporting a stalker will lead to him/her increasing their harassment.
We walk victims through the process, support them and hold stalkers
accountable for their illegal conduct.
Please contact [Click on City for map ]:
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