The first piece of legislation will keep the addresses of domestic violence victims confidential in public records- like court records. Another will allow the prosecution of those who violate the ‘no contact’ order by calling the victim from jail.
State Attorney Jeff Ashton stressed the importance of early action in dealing with victims and prosecuting abusers.“The quicker that we get to victims the quicker we can bolster them, the quicker we can show them the value of cooperating in prosecution and the quicker we can get them help and have the case be successful”, said Ashton.
Employees of the Harbor House emergency shelter can now serve as special clerks, processing affidavits filed by victim so they don’t have to go to the courthouse.