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Press Release
For Immediate Release:
August 8, 2002
Contact:
Christina Deibel or Linda Weyandt, (330) 535-8116
Akron Municipal Family Violence Court Receives National Award
The Akron Municipal Family Violence Court program has received the American Correctional Association's 2002 Exemplary Offender Program Award. Only one program in the country is selected each year for this award. This prestigious award was established in 1996 by the American Correctional Association (ACA), a professional membership association dedicated to the improvement of corrections and the professional development of corrections practitioners. Akron Municipal Judge Lynne Callahan, who presides over Family Violence Court, and James Lawrence, president/CEO of Oriana House, Inc., accepted the award this week at the association's annual conference. Family Violence Court began in April 1998, to provide a unique, specialized level of supervision and services to domestic violence offenders. To date, 825 people arrested for domestic violence have entered the program. This program operates with the collaboration of Akron Municipal Court, Oriana House, Inc., the city of Akron's Prosecutor's Office, Summit Psychological Association, Inc., the Victim Assistance Program, the Battered Women's Shelter, Legal Defender Office, Inc., the Summit County Executive's Office, and the city of Akron's Mayor's Office. "This award applauds the efforts of so many people who either helped in the planning stages of Family Violence Court or who are now working to offer early intervention, case management and treatment programming. I am grateful of the recognition from the American Correctional Association. Programs such as Family Violence Court do make a difference in our community," Lawrence said. Offenders who enter Family Violence Court must plead guilty to a domestic violence charge. The offender is placed on one-year court supervision and must participate in 26 weekly, violence cessation counseling sessions. A temporary protection order is issued barring the offender from having any contact with the victim. A victim who requests to have the temporary protection order removed must complete the Early Intervention Program and the Stop the Cycle Program at the Battered Women's Shelter. Offenders are required to pay court costs and the cost for the violence cessation sessions.
Oriana House provides case management to monitor the offender during the entire one-year probation period, and offenders in need of substance abuse treatment are required to enter treatment programs. A probation officer serves as the program liaison and also provides supervision of offenders. The probation officer and caseworkers involved with Family Violence Court meet weekly to discuss each participant's case. Sanctions are imposed for violations. Judge Callahan can terminate a violator's participation in Family Violence Court at any time and reinstate a maximum 182-day jail sentence. According to The Honorable Betty Adams Green, president of the ACA, the Correctional Awards Committee found many noteworthy features in the Akron Municipal Family Violence Court program that distinguished it from the other nominations. Green and James A. Gondles, Jr., executive director of ACA, praised the following attributes of the program: "The length of the program; the fact that the program is designed to address causative factors; the extent of evident collaboration, which contributed to the reported community support for the program; the 73% completion rate over the 11 month period in 2001; the employment requirement of the program; the tight and comprehensive screening process; the assessment of court costs and case management fees; the availability to the courts of a variety of sanctions and treatment services; and finally the program is seen as demonstrating an effort to both hold the offenders accountable as well as assist them in becoming more responsible and law abiding." Funding for Family Violence Court is provided through the offices of Summit County Executive James McCarthy and Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic.
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Editor's Note: Following this press release are two pages which are copies of the certificate presented at the ACA Award Ceremony.
Webmaster's Note: Copies available via our PI Department.