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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 05232000 - SD2 a .J Zoo .,.rSw. TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS CONTRA COSTA FROM: Phil Batchelor, County Administrator COUNTY'' DATE: May 23, 2000 SUBJECT: Zero Tolerance for Domestic Violence SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATIONtS): 1. RECOGNIZE that the Board of Supervisors' policy on Zero Tolerance For Domestic Violence has focussed public and cross-agency attention on this cancer in our society, Which extracts an unacceptable cost from the children, families and communities of Contra Costa County. 2. ACKNOWLEDGE that under the Board's direction, the County Administrator convened a meeting of the County Administrator, Sheriff, District Attorney, Health, Employment and Human Services, Probation, Battered Women's Alternatives and Board staff to examine how best to increase the effectiveness of prevention, early intervention and prosecution of domestic violence. 3. DIRECT the County Administrator to coordinate the development of the key actions identified by this group: ➢ Construct interagency protocols for coordination across Departments and agencies that deal with domestic violence. These protocols shall address alignment of the criminal justice, civil and service sectors. ➢ [develop and implement measures to reduce repeat offenses and support the successful prosecution of felony and misdemeanor domestic violence cases while ensuring the safety of victims of domestic violence. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: _X�YES SIGNATURE: z-rtcX�w –___RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR—RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S). ACTION OF BOARD ON M&y 23 , 2000 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED X OTHER SEE THE ATTACHED ADDENDUM FOR BOARD DISCUSSION ON THIS MATTER. VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A x UNANIMOUS)ABSENT – – _ 1 TRUE AND CORRECT COPY OF AN AYES: NOES: ACTION TAKEN AND ENTERED ABSENT: ABSTAIN: ON MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. Contact. Christina Linville,335-1017 cc: Chris Linville,CAO Battered Women's Alternative(via CAO) Sherif ATTESTED May 23 , 2000 District Attorney PHIL BATCHELOR,CLERK OF Health Services Dept. THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Employment&Human Services kNQ COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR BY ,DEPUTY -RECOMMENDATIONS toont'd): ➢ Recommend ways to improve data collection and appropriate/secure sharing of information across the system to improve criminal and civil response and better serve victims of domestic violence. ➢ Estimate the current fiscal impact of domestic violence, including both the shorter-term cost of strengthening the response to domestic violence and the longer-term savings associated with improving prevention/early intervention activities. A Make recommendations to expand the scope of services available to victims of domestic violence and their families (including battered children and children who witness domestic violence), through such activities as cross-reporting, interagency case management procedures and cross-training of staff. > include in the scope of work an inventory of models in other counties, particularly counties with specialized Domestic Violence Courts, and their potential applicability to Contra Costa County and estimated costs and benefits. ➢ Address the role of substance abuse in domestic violence and include coordination with Drug Court planning and substance abuse treatment programs in the interagency domestic violence protocols. 3. DIRECT the County Administrator to return to the Board with draft interagency protocols and a report on progress toward accomplishing the key actions identified. BACKGROUND/REASONfSI FOR RECOMMENDATiONf5t; On February 8, 2000, the Board approved a series of recommendations with regard to domestic violence, including a policy of .Zero Tolerance for Domestic Violence in Contra Costa County. The County Administrator was directed to convene the appropriate departments and staff to review the current scope of efforts to combat domestic violence, and to develop further recommendations to the Board. Specific areas for recommendations included ways to. ➢ Increase the impact of current mandatory arrest policy to reduce repeat offenses. Better support the successful prosecution of felony and misdemeanor domestic violence cases. ➢ Ensure that all battered women have alternatives that ensure their safety and the safety of their children, utilizing multi-disciplinary teams for immediate intervention for families that will lead to successful, independent lives. )o� Create a Zero Tolerance continuum of best practices on preventing and prosecuting domestic violence. On April 12, 2000, the County Administrator and staff met with the District Attorney, Sheriff's Commander of the Domestic Violence Unit, County Probation Officer, Manager of the Probation Adult Division, Employment and Human Services Director, Health Services Director, Executive Director of Battered Women's Alternatives and Community Liaison, Supervisor Gerber's Office. This group reviewed the current scope of domestic violence activities and services in the County. The Sheriffs Department reported that there were more than 3,800 domestic violence arrests in Contra Costa County in 1999. The District Attorney's Office filed 1044 domestic violence cases in 1999--788 misdemeanors, 244 felonies and 14 probation violations. The Probation Department has approximately 325 probationers convicted of domestic violence felonies on intensive or active supervision, with an additional 175 on computer-assisted monitoring. The District Attorney reported that domestic violence cases can be labor-intensive and difficult because of factors such as lack of eyewitnesses and/or victim cooperation and dependence on circumstantial evidence. The Employment and Human Service Department reported that research in the services field shows that child abuse occurs in up to 80% of spousal/partner abuse cases in families with children, underscoring the need for cross-agency reporting and service protocols. Battered Women's Alternatives has 9 legal staff positions that are devoted to assisting families in navigating the criminal, civil and service sectors of the domestic violence system. The Health Department reported that there is a great need for more substance abuse treatment resources for individuals and families when domestic violence is an issue. It was acknowledged that victims of domestic violence can feel tremendous guilt and fear about prosecuting batterers. Victims sometimes stand to lose their only source of financial support or feel they are robbing their children of a parent. They often face pressure from other family members and fear the stigma of society that may accrue from "going public„ with the details of their personal lives. Each of the Departments and agencies represented have allocated significant resources to combating domestic violence, and share an abiding commitment to working to improve the continuum of domestic violence-related activities and services. The group made the following determinations: ➢ The most urgent need in the area of domestic violence is for coordination and collaboration across domestic violence sectors, including coordination of activities, cross-training, collection of data, appropriate/secure sharing of information, and case management. ➢ Zero tolerance means deploying more resources throughout the domestic violence sectors— County Departments, law enforcement and domestic violence service providers. For example, an increase in the number of cases filed will increase not only District Attorney costs but costs for law enforcement, the Courts, probation, Employment and Human Services, Health Services and domestic violence service providers. ➢ As with many other service areas, expensive crisis services and mandates consume most of the available funding. Improvements to the system should be made with the goal of reducing crisis/remediation costs over time and moving funding toward prevention/early intervention, thus reducing overall the unacceptable financial and human toll of domestic violence. ➢ Elder abuse is expected to increase, due both to expansion of reporting and investigation mandates and to the increasing numbers of elders in the general population. More resources will be needed across the domestic violence system to address this increase. ➢ Substance abuse needs to be better addressed as a critical factor in domestic violence. S. 9s 'J co ADDENDUM TO ITEM SD.2 May 23, 2000 Agenda On this date, the Board of Supervisors considered the recommendations for key action steps and activities to implement the Board's policy of Zero Tolerance for Domestic Violence. Philip Batchelor, County Administrator,presented the staff report and recommendations. He advised the Board that representatives from Battered Women's Alternatives met with County personnel, as a result of that meeting it became clear there was a lot of work that could and should be done. He informed the Board there needs to be coordination between all of the divergent agencies and departments for an effective program. Mr. Batchelor introduced the principal staff involved with this issue, Christina Linville, Lara Delaney and Jennifer Deadman of County Administrator's Office. The Board discussed the matter. Supervisor Gerber noted that as a member of the Children and Families Commission (Prop 10), it became clear to her and others that when seeking ways to provide better services to children under the age of 6,the Commission members concluded that if women were protected, in essence, children would be protected. She said it's evident that children in homes with domestic violence are being trained to become either abusers or victims. Supervisor Uilkema stated that certain aspects should be emphasized in this matter. She said there is a need for input from the Deputy Sheriffs'Association since they are frontline people who encounter domestic violence situations. Ms. Uilkema urged the County to suggest additional training for medical caregivers by the Alameda-Contra Costa Medical Association to enable them to recognize symptoms and issues involved in domestic violence. She stated the County is taking an important step in the right direction on this issue. Following further discussion, Supervisor Gerber moved to accept the staff s recommendations, Supervisor Uilkema seconded the motion. The vote by the Board was unanimous.