New Domestic Violence Bills Under Consideration

New Jersey lawmakers are considering a 5-bill package designed to protect the rights of domestic violence victims.

Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande (R-Monmouth) sits on the Women and Children Committee, which crafted the legislation.

"We had representatives from the courts, we had representatives who've worked in domestic violence as victims' advocates for ten years," Casagrande said.  "What we tried to do is take a holistic look at domestic violence from start to finish."

The bills range from a requirement for all convicted offenders to participate in counseling (A1310) to the use of closed-circuit television for victims' testimony in court (A2154).  The other bills in the package concern early release for incarcerated victims (A1677), and the use of restraining orders both during arrest (A1953) and as evidence in domestic violence cases in which victims are charged with an assault on an abuser (A1579).

Casagrande says the package is a good start, but the committee's discussions with domestic violence experts showed there is still a lot of work to be done.

"We also talked about how we can get some additional training," Casagrande said.  "And the possibility of perhaps a pilot program of specific domestic violence courts."

You can keep track of the progress of these and other bills under consideration by clicking here.