By Thompson H.C.R. No. 27 74R3259 PAN-D CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-1 WHEREAS, Recent studies indicate that domestic violence is a 1-2 growing problem in Texas; in 1993 alone, reported incidents of 1-3 family violence exceeded 155,000, and 38 percent of the 161 women 1-4 who were slain in Texas were killed by their male partners; and 1-5 WHEREAS, Between 1993 and 1995, 62 shelters for victims of 1-6 domestic violence will share a state-funded, biennial budget of 1-7 $18.1 million, further illustrating the enormous costs associated 1-8 with this devastating human tragedy; and 1-9 WHEREAS, Though measures designed to address the issues 1-10 relating to domestic violence continue to be enacted each 1-11 legislative session, the complexity of the problem requires 1-12 continual evaluation to ensure that family violence cases are 1-13 handled in the most effective manner possible; and 1-14 WHEREAS, The U.S. Attorney General's Task Force on Family 1-15 Violence recently found that "judges should not underestimate their 1-16 ability to influence the defendant's behavior and that even a stern 1-17 admonishment from the judge can help to deter the defendant from 1-18 future violence"; and 1-19 WHEREAS, Research conducted by the National Institute of 1-20 Justice determined that a court's response to family violence can 1-21 contribute to either the decline or escalation of violence within 1-22 the family; given these findings, it is imperative that members of 1-23 the judiciary be well trained in the dynamics of domestic violence 1-24 and how to address this critical issue fairly and properly; and 2-1 WHEREAS, The National Judicial Education on Domestic Violence 2-2 Project has developed a model curriculum to aid in the instruction 2-3 of judges nationwide to help them gain a greater understanding of 2-4 the issues relating to family violence; through this program, 2-5 judges may examine societal beliefs that influence judicial 2-6 fact-finding and review current statutes and case law governing the 2-7 handling of domestic violence criminal cases; and 2-8 WHEREAS, Although judges in Texas are currently required to 2-9 receive judicial training related to family violence, the adoption 2-10 of a standardized curriculum for judges involved in handling such 2-11 cases would eliminate inconsistencies of procedure that may exist 2-12 in Texas while demonstrating that the state is committed to ending 2-13 the tremendous suffering and pain associated with this tragic 2-14 problem; now, therefore, be it 2-15 RESOLVED, That the 74th Legislature of the State of Texas 2-16 hereby request the Texas Center for the Judiciary, Inc., to base 2-17 its required judicial training on domestic violence on curriculum 2-18 contained in Domestic Violence: The Crucial Role of the Judge in 2-19 Criminal Court Cases (A National Model for Judicial Education), as 2-20 developed by the National Judicial Education on Domestic Violence 2-21 Advisory Committee under the auspices of the National Council of 2-22 Juvenile and Family Court Judges; and, be it further 2-23 RESOLVED, That judicial training on family violence include 2-24 discussions with victims of domestic violence, perpetrators of 2-25 domestic violence, and counselors or victim advocates experienced 2-26 in the area of domestic violence; and, be it further 2-27 RESOLVED, That the secretary of state forward an official 3-1 copy of this resolution to the Texas Center for the Judiciary, Inc.