KC Municipal Court Wins $1 Million Grant For Early Intervention Domestic Violence Programs

From the City of Kansas City:

January 7, 2021

The Kansas City Municipal Domestic Violence Court is launching two early intervention efforts to break the cycle of violence for first-time offenders and in cases involving young adults. The court recently received a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice and will partner with the University of Missouri on the programs.

One of the new programs is a domestic violence awareness class. People facing their first domestic violence charge will be required to take the class as a condition of their bond. The other program is a Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention docket that will provide services for the offenders and the victims in domestic violence cases involving young adults.

“These programs have been identified by those working in the domestic violence court as being necessary to address the unique needs and characteristics of first time offenders and young adult offenders and victims,” said Municipal Domestic Violence Court Judge Courtney Wachal. “We believe providing services specifically designed for these groups will help keep victims of domestic violence in Kansas City safe.”

These efforts are the latest innovations for the Municipal Domestic Violence Court. In 2015, the court started a Domestic Violence Compliance docket for its most serious offenders. The success of the Compliance Docket led to the Municipal Domestic Violence Court being designated by the Department of Justice as a Mentor Court in 2017. The Kansas City court was the first municipal court in the nation to receive the mentor court designation and has been hailed a model for courts around the country looking to improve their domestic violence programs.

The Kansas City Municipal Domestic Violence Court serves the largest jurisdiction in Missouri. As a result, it also handles the highest number of domestic violence cases in the state. Each day there are two domestic violence shelter advocates available to speak to victims to ensure that they are receiving assistance.

This press release was produced by the City of Kansas City. The views expressed here are the author’s own.