The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ), the nation’s oldest and largest judicial membership and education organization, celebrates 25 years of success and innovation of the National Judicial Institute on Domestic Violence (NJIDV).
The NJIDV is a partnership with the NCJFCJ and Futures Without Violence and supported by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women (OVW). Launched in 1999, NJIDV provides educational programs for judges across the country, helping them develop and enhance their skills in handling a wide range of criminal and civil cases involving domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, elder abuse, and stalking.
The NJIDV delivers information on the dynamics of domestic violence, elder abuse, and related issues, as well as practical advice from experienced judges and other professionals on how to handle all aspects of these complex cases fairly and effectively. In its 25 years, 120 in-person trainings have commenced with more than 10,250 judges across the U.S. NCJFCJ judges have joined together in “This I believe,” a video about how judicial officers are the keystone to leading their communities in domestic violence issues.
“Being a member of the NCJFCJ and on faculty with the NJIDV, the workshops and my involvement in the project has allowed me to acquire the skills and training to listen to victims of domestic violence and when they are ready, help them to escape the abusive relationship, provide those who use violence to control another person a pathway to change their abusive personality and behaviors, and decide what would be in a child’s best interest regarding custody, placement, and safety,” said Judge Marshall Murray (Ret.). “My work with the NCJFCJ and my time spent on the NJIDV project has taught me that being a judge requires more than just being an observer and decision maker in the courtroom, but that a judge needs to lead in his or her community.”
The NJIDV Enhancing Judicial Skills in Domestic Violence Cases (EJS) workshops highlight emerging issues around intimate partner violence, using hypothetical case problems, role-play exercises, and faculty demonstrations. This highly interactive format enables judges from different jurisdictions and levels of experience to learn from one another. There will be a workshop in Louisville, Kentucky from June 18-21, 2024, and one in Santa Fe, New Mexico from December 10-13, 2024. The NJIDV also offers a Continuing Judicial Skills in Domestic Violence Cases (CJS) Program and the Enhancing Judicial Skills in Elder Abuse Cases Workshop in partnership with Futures Without Violence.