Course Description:
Examination of the legal system’s response to domestic violence using an interdisciplinary approach. The legal (criminal and civil) and social issues regarding domestic violence will also be examined. The dynamics of domestic violence will be studied in great detail including the use of collaborative and cooperative approaches to domestic violence prevention and accountability. Such approaches include domestic violence councils, use of mental health professionals, and specialized domestic violence courts in adult criminal, family law, and juvenile domestic violence, and dependency law cases. Students will have the opportunity to participate in field trips to specialized courts and domestic violence intervention programs.