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Domestic Violence…
It’s Not a Private Matter. It’s a Crime.
The Legal System Task Force focuses on the Central Ohio legal
system – our courts, police, prosecutors and advocates. When victims
end up in court, too often the system fails to protect them. A study commissioned
by the Coalition found that a typical sentence for a batterer is probation
and a $30 fine – less than the cost of a typical speeding ticket. The National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women has found that the injuries that battered women receive are at least as serious as injuries suffered in 90% of violent felony crimes, yet under state law they are almost always classified as misdemeanors.
Domestic violence and the related crime "menacing by stalking" clog the Franklin County Municipal Court—4,078 cases were filed in 2007—and court records show a high number of repeat offenders and dismissals.
The Legal System Task Force is focused on reform by providing legal assistance for victims, judicial reform, training of law enforcement officers, prosecutors and attorneys. It is our goal to assess the legal response to domestic violence in our communities, to create city and county-wide alliances and initiatives and to be a model for other communities in legal domestic violence advocacy and change.
Click on an icon below for more information about the Legal System task
force initiatives, or write to us.
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