Final Report on the Evaluation of the Judicial Oversight Demonstration Volume 3: Findings from Focus Groups with JOD Victims and Offenders

• NCJ Number: 219384
• Author(s): Lisa Newmark; Christine Depies DeStefano; Adele Harrell; Janine Zweig; Lisa Brooks; Megan Schaffer
• Date Published: June 2007
• Length: 99 pages
• Grant Number(s): 1999-WT-VX-K005
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Award: Eval. of a Multi-Site Demon. for Enhanced Judicial Oversight

Annotation

This federally supported report presents findings from established focus groups on perceptions of fairness of the Judicial Oversight Demonstration (JOD) initiative in each of the JOD sites: Massachusetts, Michigan, and Wisconsin with both victims and offenders in the improvement of victim safety and offender accountability in intimate partner violence cases.

Abstract

Findings across the focus groups and the Judicial Oversight Demonstration (JOD) sites for both victims and offenders indicate the importance of procedural justice concepts when individuals reflect on their intimate partner violence (IPV) cases, services and related outcomes. In particular, issues of voice, impartiality, neutrality, accuracy, and consideration were demonstrated in several sites for several types of JOD partners. Individuals involved in IPV cases, whether victim or offender, want to feel as though they have been heard, that they have been treated fairly, and that they have been treated with respect and consideration. Understanding procedural justice issues and reflecting such themes in service practices may lead to improved offender compliance with case outcomes, and improved satisfaction and safety for victims. Highlights from victim focus groups by type of agency participating in the initiative are presented, followed by findings from offender focus groups by type of agency. These summary highlights identify the key areas in which victims and offenders evaluate their treatment by agencies, whether positive or negative, and identify practices that indicate high procedural justice and key areas in which participants would like to see improvements in practice. This report presents Volume 3 of the JOD evaluative study. The purpose of this report is to document the results of a series of focus groups conducted with victims and offenders in each of the JOD sites (Dorchester, MA, Milwaukee, WI, and Washtenaw County, MI) as part of the formative and process evaluation portion of the study. The JOD’s goal was to improve victim safety and offender accountability and reduce recidivism in intimate partner violence cases. Achieving these goals was through a strong judicial response, combined with coordinated community services and integrated justice system polices in IPV cases. References