Missoula County officials have announced a new program intended to better address widespread intimate partner violence cases. Experts say one in three women and one in nine men report having experienced violence in an intimate partner relationship.
Missoula’s new Domestic Violence Court aims to accelerate the timeline in cases involving partner violence.
“Instead of a case taking six months to a year, it'll take two to three months,” said Shantelle Gaynor, Director of Missoula County’s Community Justice Department.
Gaynor says the new timeline is made possible by a combination of improved case processing, speedier trials and more efficient agency coordination. The court is the first of its kind in Missoula.
Missoula’s Justice Court 1 Justice of the Peace Alex Beal will hear cases in the new program.
Beal, who’s running for re-election, says the Domestic Violence court has run on a pilot project basis for the past several months.
“If there are folks out there who are survivors of domestic violence and are not sure if they want to come forward, I want to make sure they understand all the services that are available and that the court system wants to make sure that we're not an impediment to that either.”
He says this initial phase doesn’t cost a dime but the plan for funding future efforts like treatment options and post-sentencing check-ins is unclear. Organizers are seeking grant funding and intend to ask the state legislature for help next year.
