Domestic Violence/Child Abuse Implementation Team

Inaugural Meeting
Friday, August 12, 2005
Orange County Courthouse, 425 N Orange Ave, 23rd Floor
425 N. Orange Ave, Orlando

ORLANDO, Fla. (August 12, 2005) – Moving forward with plans to make fundamental changes to reduce domestic violence and child abuse in the community, the Ninth Judicial Circuit’s Domestic Violence/Child Abuse Commission’s Implementation Team met for the first time today to set specific goals to implement the Commission’s recommendations of moving Orange County to zero tolerance for domestic violence and child abuse.

The Implementation Team is a direct result of the yearlong Domestic Violence/Child Abuse Commission’s 100-page report on widespread solutions to improve the process both in and out of court. That report was presented to the Orange County Board of County Commissioners earlier this year. The Implementation Team was created to develop an action plan for the report.

“The message is that we are dedicated to moving forward with the recommendations to make them a reality,” said Circuit Judge Alice Blackwell White, who co-chairs the Implementation Team with child advocate Dick Batchelor, president of Dick J. Batchelor Management Group.

Orange County Mayor Richard Crotty has directed his staff to assist in funding the operational costs of 50 new beds at Harbor House, Orange County’s Center Against Domestic Violence, which will double its capacity. Orange County will also study the feasibility of developing a specialty courtroom designed for domestic violence and family-related cases. Both were top requests from the Domestic Violence/Child Abuse Commission.

“The Implementation Team will have a zero tolerance in our work as the Commission had in the past year developing these broad and sweeping improvements to the community and our courts,” said Batchelor, who co-chaired the Domestic Violence/Child Abuse Commission over the last year with Circuit Judge Robert Evans.

Implementation Team members include judges, law enforcement, elected officials, advocates and community leaders.

Two committees were formed to implement the recommendations related to court and system functions as it pertains to domestic violence and child abuse. The goal is to break the cycle of abuse with innovative strategies that will help battered women, children and men lead violence-free lives and ensure fairness in the system. The two committees will meet individually before returning to a Team meeting for progress reports.

Some facts on domestic violence in Orange County: For years 2003 and 2004, there were 120 domestic violence deaths statewide. In Orange County, for the same time period, 17 people lost their lives as a result of domestic violence, 6 of them children; It is estimated only one-seventh of all domestic-related assaults are reported to police. In 2004, more than 500 domestic violence injunctions were filed each month at the Orange County Courthouse. National statistics are just as alarming: 1 in every 5 women in affected by domestic violence; 4.5 million assaults are committed against women. Related costs are in the millions. Victims' lives are often at stake.

For additional media information, call or e-mail Susan Clary with Court Administration at 407-836-6348. Click for more information on the Domestic Violence Commission.