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NewDEAL Leader Champions Support for Survivors of Domestic Violence

Idea Category: Criminal Justice, Public Safety

NewDEAL Leader and Bexar County District Court Judge Monique Diaz’s Collaborative Commission on Domestic Violence commemorated three years of service this week. The commission released a comprehensive report overviewing the efficacy of the program in providing support to domestic violence survivors, raising awareness around the warning signs of abuse, and expanding the power of judges to issue compliance orders to perpetrators, all aimed at reducing cases of family violence in the county. In the past year alone, the Collaborative Commission on Domestic Violence, co-chaired by Diaz and Deputy City Manager Maria Villagomez, has been able to connect 1,600 survivors with crisis support services and train over 300 medical professionals to recognize the signs of abuse. As the program enters its fourth year, Diaz highlighted the importance of taking a holistic approach to harm reduction, emphasizing a need to include the voices of offenders and of families impacted by abuse. For more on the Commission, click here.