Victim / Witness Assistance Program staff (VWAP)– The VWAP program provides information, assistance and support to victims and witnesses of crime after charges have been laid in a criminal case. They are supposed to have extra training about violence between intimate partners, investigating these situations and evaluating high risk cases. They are often the first ones to respond to a scene. Police Officers– The police have specialized units to deal with domestic assault situations. They are supposed to work together to improve support for victims/survivors of violence and coordinate investigations and prosecutions of domestic violence cases. The Domestic Violence Court (DVC) Program involves teams of specialized professionals who work on cases involving intimate partner violence. Definitions of Other Legal Words Who are the main justice system actors involved in Domestic Violence Courts? Intimate relationships include relationships between people of all genders and gender identities. It can also happen in more casual dating relationships. Intimate partner violence can be done by a current or former spouse or partner. Domestic violence is also commonly called “intimate partner violence”. The abuse can be physical, sexual, financial, and/or verbal/emotional. What is domestic violence?ĭomestic Violence is when one partner in an intimate relationship abuses the other. The program also includes special training about intimate partner violence for police, Crown lawyers, probation officers and other staff that are involved in the program. There is a Domestic Violence Court in each of the province’s 54 court jurisdictions.Īs part of the DVC Program, domestic violence cases are heard separately from other criminal law cases by specific judges who are trained about violence between intimate partners and familiar with the issues involved in these types of cases. The Domestic Violence Courts try to simplify the prosecution of domestic assault cases, provide more support to victims, increase offender responsibility, and provide early intervention. Ontario’s Domestic Violence Court (DVC) is a special program for handling domestic violence cases in the criminal justice system.
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