Marin County Officials Hosting Workshop on Preventing Family Violence

Marin County law enforcement and health agencies are holding a public workshop Wednesday on family violence prevention.

The workshop at the Four Points by Sheraton San Rafael hotel will focus on strategies to enforce zero tolerance and end the abuse.

The summit is from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and is open to all for a $25 registration fee. Registration forms are available online or by calling the Probation Department at (415) 473-6599.

As of Tuesday night, spots were still open and organizers tell Patch that same-day registration can happen Wednesday on-site, beginning at 8 a.m.

Domestic violence has not only made sports headlines recently but it is the most common of all violent crimes in Marin County, Marin County’s public information officer Brent Ainsworth said.

Between July 1, 2013 and June 30, 2014, 835 incidents, or about 2.3 a day, were referred to the Marin County District Attorney’s Office by local law enforcement agencies, Ainsworth said.

The actual number of incidents is likely larger because most domestic violence crimes are not reported to law enforcement, Ainsworth said.

Participants in the summit include the Marin County offices of the District Attorney, Public Defender, Probation, Sheriff and Health and Human Services. Kaiser Permanente and the Center for Domestic Peace also will participate.

The Marin County Probation Department was tasked in 2013 with forming a group of local agencies to address all aspects of family violence, Ainsworth said.

“We have worked to understand the role each of us plays in making Marin County a safer place,” Chief Probation Officer Michael Daly said.

Daly said he wants to prevent an increase in domestic violence crimes particularly those involving the county’s elderly residents.

Jeffrey Edleson, Dean and Professor of the School of Social Welfare at the University of California at Berkeley will give the keynote presentation.

The summit will include personal testimonies, an overview of domestic violence in Marin County and four breakout discussion sessions.

--Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

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