Reference no: EM133214907

1. Integrated domestic violence courts attempt to save victims multiple trips to court by hearing all related matters including child custody hearings and restraining orders on the same day. However, it has been argued that since civil courts look at victims and offenders "equally" rather than assuming a victim/offender dichotomy, this strategy is disadvantageous to victims. Can this be resolved in a typical court?

2. Integrating all matters in one day means that each matter might have its own set of attorneys. Thus, the victim and the offender may have attorneys (and possibly a victim advocate) for the criminal charge and a different set of attorneys such as a public defender or a private attorney for the civil matters. Does this inhibit the processing of criminal charges?

3. Can general jurisdiction criminal courts be realistically improved to offer many of the same advantages in terms of expeditious case handling and ensuring offender accountability that are offered (at least in theory) by special purpose violence courts but at a lower cost given limited judicial resources?