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Key Elements:
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Intake Unit. Petitioner calls court and is given an appointment to prepare a
petition—usually the next day. Petitioners are given a group
orientation that provides information on the restraining order process
and the services of the court. Each petitioner is assigned to a court
officer/social worker to prepare the petition. Brochures about
services are available in the waiting area. Court Intake staff (1 supervisor and 7 FTE social workers with at least a
bachelor’s degree) process all new petitions during regular court
hours. The judge conducts a paper review of the petition and issues a
TRO if deemed appropriate.
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Necessary parties.
A close working relationship with advocacy groups, involvement of the
entire justice system, and commitment by the judiciary are essential
to the program’s success.
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Linkages to comprehensive victim
services. The court works with
the Domestic Violence Clearinghouse and Legal Hotline, an agency under
contract with the court to perform certain advocacy functions. The court is in the process of expanding the contract to
provide legal and non-legal services (e.g., safety planning, risk
assessment, referrals, crisis counseling, intervention, long-term case
management, and accompanying petitioners to court).
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Supervised visitation center.
The Center is funded through the state and an HHS grant and has been
in operation since approximately 1994.
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Special waiting area. Petitioners are separated from respondents in a special area
right outside the courtroom. Sheriffs
are present in the waiting area, and staff alerts them to any
potential problems in advance.
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Standardized civil protection order
elements. All orders have
standard elements that were collectively decided upon by a state
committee of judges,
police officers, prosecutors, and representatives from the Attorney
General’s office.
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Enforcement of orders from other state and
tribal jurisdictions. The Court created two standing committees on
enforcement (one on training, and one on full faith and credit) with
representatives from the criminal justice sector as well as members of
advocacy groups and the military. The committees conducted statewide
training and produced a training video.
Evaluation:
The jurisdiction
reports that the Intake Unit was evaluated by an outside agency a few
years ago. Evaluation data not included with nomination.
Other Support:
The jurisdiction has
received state and federal grant funds to support some of its
practices.
Contact & Related Links:
Maureen Kiehm
Family Court Program Specialist
1st Circuit Judiciary, State of Hawaii
P.O. Box 3498
Honolulu, HI 96811-3498
(808) 539-4406
(808) 539-4402 Fax
maureenkiehm@hotmail.com
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