NJ Panel Issues Domestic Violence Study Report
by KYW's David Madden
TRENTON, NJ (CBS) -- A select panel has spent more than a year looking into the issue of domestic violence in New Jersey and how best to address it. They have issued a 39-page report on their findings.
The committee, which included all branches of government, victims, attorneys on both sides of the issue and experts from academia, was formed at the behest of State Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner. It examined how cases and victims are handled in the criminal justice system.
Pete McAleer, a spokesman for New Jersey Courts, outlines some of the recommendations, starting with municipal courts that offer domestic violence victims help.
"They found that more domestic violence advocates are needed," McAleer told KYW Newsradio. "They recommended that some of the court procedures be changed so that domestic violence victims in certain high risk cases do not have to be physically present in court in order to testify in hearings."
And there's a push to bring some of the state's laws in line with modern technology.
"The committee talked about expanding the domestic violence laws to include things like cyber harassment and harassment on social media," he said. "And another thing that it's recommending is a statewide expansion of programs for children that are exposed to domestic violence."
The report has been forwarded to state officials because some of the recommendations will require changes in the law.
You can read the report for yourself by going to http://www.judiciary.state.nj.us/reports2016/SCAdHocommitteeDV.pdf.