This brief article describes the operation of the Family Violence Court at Manukau (Auckland, New Zealand), as reported by Judge John Adams in a speech to the 'Rise Above It' conference in Masterton. Details of the courts operation include: two Family Violence Courts operate each week in the criminal court dealing with approximately 25 new family violence cases each week; the second day of the Court is allocated for defended hearings. The family violence cases are divided into four categories ranging from Category 1 comprising isolated incidents with no indication of a violent propensity, to Category 4 which involves cases without much prospect of change, where sociopathlogy might be involved. Early disposition was key to the court's response to family violence, with mist cases disposed of within a month of the alleged incident. The Courts had seen a greater proportion of defendants pleading guilty, which was considered to increase the possibility of rehabilitation in cases of lower range violence where defendants did not have a history of violent offending. A range of penalties are applied, with consideration of the extent to which penalties might affect other family members.

Law News 2005 (22)