Issues in Family Violence

Fall 2001

Current DVITI Projects

Expert Testimony in Civil Liberties Case

One of the Non-Violence Alliance co-founders, David Mandel, will be providing expert testimony in a Federal lawsuit brought by the Connecticut Civil Liberties Union (CCLU) against the Connecticut Department of Corrections. The CCLU is challenging the Department’s policy of prohibiting contact between inmates and family members who have been identified as victims. The CCLU is advocating that family members with legally identified relationships with the inmate, e.g. spouse or child, should be allowed to pursue contact if they wish. David’s testimony will cover a range of issues including the right of victims to self-determination in areas of safety planning and on-going family relationships with their partners. His testimony will stress how some victims use visits to institutions to protect themselves and their children by monitoring their abuser’s mood or to demonstrate their fidelity. Emphasis will be given to a victim’s right to determine the nature of her relationship and the relationship of her children to her partner. The testimony will also involve highlighting current national fatherhood efforts to promote the relationship between non-custodial fathers and their children.

Supervised Visitation Center Targets Batterers

In December 2000 the Non-Violence Alliance/Domestic Violence Intervention Training Institute was hired to consult in the development of a new supervised visitation center. Funded by Connecticut’s child protective service agency, the Department of Children and Families, the ‘rkids Family Center works with the biological and foster parents of children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse and neglect. Along with the goal of providing a safe environment for children to visit with their biological parents, the Family Center is going offers treatment and support services for the biological family in order to support a successful reunification process.

The Non-Violence Alliance/Domestic Violence Intervention Training Institute was hired to (1) train and offer case consultation on domestic violence perpetrators to the ‘rkids clinical staff, (2) develop policy and procedures to address the presence of domestic violence perpetrators in their cases, (3) develop and write a treatment model to address domestic violence perpetrators who are involved in the process of supervised visitation and reunification and (4) write a brief four session training curriculum for foster parents whose foster children have experienced domestic violence.

(c) 2001, The Non-Violence Alliance. Permission to reprint with the following information "Originally published in Issues in Family Violence, Volume 4, Issue 1 Fall 2001, The Non-Violence Alliance, www.endingviolence.com."