Domestic Violence Can Reach Beyond The Home Front

Chicago Sun Times; Chicago, Ill.
February 6, 1997
Sharon Cotliar

Article Courtesy of The Chicago Sun Times

The Cook County state's attorney's office announced Wednesday that it will become the first in the nation to link victims of domestic violence with lawyers who can help them get out of the relationships.

The idea, said Cook County State's Attorney Richard Devine is to "remove some of the obstacles that keep people from going forward with prosecutions," such as concerns about divorce or child custody. The new approach is part of a year long pilot program that is being funded by a $539,460 federal grant. It is also part of' a larger effort by Devine's office to make these cases a top priority.

Devine announced Wednesday that he was forming a specialized domestic violence unit. He appointed Pamela Paziotupoulos, a Chicagoan and lawyer with the National District Attorneys Association, to head the team of 22 prosecutors.

"Before today there had been no comprehensive strategy or systematic commitment by the state's attorney's office to deliver justice to these victims." Devine said.

"These cases have routinely been confined to, misdemeanor courts, treated the same way as we treat trespassing or shoplifting," Devine said.

From now on, experienced prosecutors trained in handling domestic violence cases will be assigned to misdemeanor and felony courts in the city and suburbs. They will review these cases to determine whether they should be prosecuted as felonies or misdemeanors and follow them from investigation to sentencing, he said.

As part of the program, prosecutors plan to refer victims to Lifespan, a nonprofit domestic violence agency that offers legal services to victims and their children. These lawyers will be based at the courthouse at 13th and Michigan and work with victims who appear to be at the greatest risk for increased violence.