Domestic Violence Deferred Sentencing Program

The deferred sentencing program for domestic violence offenders (DVDSP), which was implemented in May 2007, was designed by the District Attorney’s office in consultation with our department. The goals of DVDSP are to hold first-time DV offenders accountable as soon as possible following their arrest/citation, to place the offenders in an approved Batterer Intervention Program (BIP) within 30 days of plea, and to reduce the amount of courtroom delays in prosecuting these offenders. Prior to the DVDSP, domestic violence offenses often took a year or more to resolve in the court system and were often dismissed because witnesses were no longer available or willing to testify. The offender was almost always released from jail immediately after the arrest and there was no monitoring of his/her behavior in the community until the matter was resolved in court. Now, first-time DV offenders are offered this program within days of their arrest and often enter pleas within two-to-three months. To enter the program, they are required to enter a plea to the crime they committed and abide by 22 standard conditions imposed by the Court. One judge is assigned to this Court, increasing consistency and a strong knowledge base.

Our department currently supervises about 95% of the offenders in the DVDSP; the other 5% live out-of-state. The DVDSP probation officer(s) attend this specialized court which occurs two Mondays of each month. The supervision process begins immediately; the PO meets with the offenders in Court directly after they enter their pleas. The offenders are given a 60-day review date to return to Court, at which time the PO provides information on the offender’s compliance with conditions, with emphasis on treatment entrance. Once all conditions are successfully completed, usually within 18 months, the case is dismissed. Substantiated violations result in the removal from DVDSP with the original plea being entered as a conviction and sentence.