The grants to support families in the justice system program (referred to as the justice for families program) was authorized in the violence against women reauthorization act of 2013 to improve the…

The grants to support families in the justice system program (referred to as the justice for families program) was authorized in the violence against women reauthorization act of 2013 to improve the response of the civil and criminal justice system to families with a history of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, or in cases involving allegations of child sexual abuse. The program supports the following activities for improving the capacity of courts and communities to respond to families affected by the targeted crimes: court-based and court-related programs; supervised visitation and safe exchange by and between parents; training for people who work with families in the court system; civil legal services; and the provision of resources in juvenile court matters. Projects supported by the justice for families program are those that focus on keeping victims and their children safe from further abuse and holding offenders accountable. Through this new justice for families project, LA casa, INC., in partnership with the third judicial district court, the new mexico children youth and families department, and the administrative office of the courts judicial district courts, will implement a standard project addressing the following purpose areas: 1) supervised visitation and safe exchange; 3) training for court-based and court-related personnel; 5) court and court-based programs and services; and 8) training within the civil justice system for dona ANA county, new mexico. The project will address priority area 3: underserved communities, particularly native american and latino populations. Specific activities will include: 1) establishing a supervised visitation and safe exchange center by and between parents aligning with the OVW guiding principles for supervised visitation and safe exchanges; 2) training custody evaluators and child protective services on the dynamics of domestic violence; and 3) establishing a community collaborative to improve court responses for underserved victims of domestic violence.