Tuesday,
April 2, 2003
(Release
issued by the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office)
DA
CONLEY, REGISTER IANNELLA AND POLICE COMMISSIONER EVANS
ANNOUNCE NEW POLICY AIMED AT HELPING DOMESTIC ABUSE VICTIMS:
Suffolk
County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley, Register of Probate
Richard Iannella, and Boston Police Commissioner Paul F. Evans
today announced a new policy to help authorities reach out to
victims of domestic violence who otherwise might not seek the
help of law enforcement agencies.
Under
the policy, which went into effect last week, Iannella’s
office is notifying the District Attorney’s Office and
Boston Police Department of any person who applies to the
Probate Court to obtain a restraining order against an alleged
abuser. Once the DA’s office and Boston police receive the
information about the restraining order applicants,
specially-trained victim advocates contact the abuse victims
to notify them about what options and support services are
available.
“Domestic
violence, sadly, is a problem that affects many people in
Suffolk County,” Conley said. “Helping victims of abuse
will always be one of our top priorities. This new procedure
allows us to reach out to victims who otherwise may not report
their abuse to our office or to the police.
“When
we do so, we tell them they have the right to seek criminal
prosecution of their abusers, and we are ready to help them do
so. But even if they feel they are not prepared to participate
in a prosecution at this point in their lives, we want to talk
to them about other types of assistance – from support
agencies to medical and counseling referrals – that are
available to them. Most of all, we want them to know that
someone cares about what is happening to them.”
Conley
praised the Registry of Probate and the Boston Police
Department for their leadership roles in formulating and
implementing the new policy.
“At
least once a day, someone comes to our court to ask for a
restraining order – often without going to the police or an
advocate first,” Iannella said. “Now, with these new
measures, we’ll provide an inter-agency response to family
violence and take a difficult burden off of victims who might
not otherwise receive the assistance and support that they
need.”
Added
Commissioner Evans: “This agreement between the Probate
Court, the DA's office and the Police Department provides
domestic violence and child abuse victims with another level
of scrutiny - the police and DA - for their particular cases.
Our advocates and detectives are trained to provide safety
planning and referral services to meet the circumstances and
needs of every domestic violence victim in the city, no matter
from what court they receive their protective order. DA Conley
and Richard Iannella are to be commended for this cooperative
effort designed to keep all victims of domestic violence and
child abuse safer."
Under
the new policy, the Registry of Probate provides a list of
restraining order applicants to both the DA’s office and
Boston police at the start of every week. Conley emphasized
that people who seek restraining orders will not be forced to
participate in a prosecution of their abusers, but rather will
be made aware of the options and support programs available to
them.
