Public Notice Detail

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (March 28, 2002) – Today Hennepin County judges released survey results showing that domestic violence victims whose cases were heard in Hennepin County’s Domestic Violence Court had favorable impressions of the court and the judges they appeared before.

Eighty-seven percent of respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with how the judge treated them.  In fact, victims’ levels of satisfaction with how they were treated by judges were at least as favorable as their levels of satisfaction with their own advocates.  Survey results showed that more than 70 percent of victims were satisfied with the outcomes of their cases and 68 percent felt that the judges cared about their situations. 

“The judiciary has a responsibility to ensure people are treated with respect and satisfied with the process,” said Hennepin County Chief Judge Kevin S. Burke.  “An 87 percent satisfaction level is encouraging, but we’re going to try to do even better.  Given the adversarial nature of the justice system, we have much less control over how people will react to a specific case outcome.  So when you look at the combination of victims’ positive attitudes about the process and satisfaction with the results, this survey is clearly very good news for the courts.”

Domestic Violence Court was initiated in November 2000.  It was designed to handle a higher volume of cases quickly and effectively while providing greater accountability for the offender and the system.  The new court has expedited domestic abuse cases and conviction rates appear to be rising.

Other survey results include the nearly unanimous finding that victims felt safe while in the courtroom.  Victims indicated that the presence of sheriff’s deputies and the defendants’ separation from the audience was comforting.  “Safety for victims and ensuring security for everyone in the courtroom was a top priority when we started the court, “ said Chief Judge Burke. 

The study showed that victims’ positive perceptions of the court appeared to be unrelated to the outcomes of the cases in which they were involved, indicating that satisfaction was not tied to the defendant’s conviction.  This finding corroborates national research that suggests individuals’ positive impressions of the court were more dependent on their perceptions of being treated fairly than on the actual outcome of their case.

The phone survey was conducted over a two-month period.  Names were randomly drawn from a City Attorney database.  For copies of the full Domestic Violence Court survey, visit the state court system website, at http://www.courts.state.mn.us/cio/news_releases.htm.