Annual Report 2025

Established in 2012 with a grant award from the Department of Justice/Office on Violence Against Women, the 17th Judicial Circuit Winnebago County Domestic Violence Coordinated Court (DVCC) has continued to operate with an enhanced focus on victim safety and offender accountability. The DVCC is comprised of a dedicated domestic violence criminal court and a dedicated domestic violence civil court, which adjudicate all levels and types of intimate-partner related criminal and civil cases. Grant funds support victim advocacy within the court setting, offender accountability and compliance monitoring practices, and provide intensive training to judicial and court staff. To date, the DVCC has heard over 17,000 intimate partner domestic violence cases.

The Department of Justice/Office on Violence Against Women's Justice for Families grant program supports the work of the Domestic Violence Coordinated Court through providing funds to support administrative staff, victim advocates, legal assistance, and training. Current Justice for Families grant goals and objectives include increasing access to justice for underserved populations, improving services within the Domestic Violence Assistance Center, and working with the Juvenile courts to enhance domestic violence responses.

The 17th Judicial Circuit Court Domestic Violence Coordinated Court has been designated as a nationally recognized Domestic Violence Mentor Court four times since 2014. This recognition has allowed the 17th Judicial Circuit DVCC to host several site visits from jurisdictions across the country interested in creating or enhancing their own Domestic Violence Court. As a Mentor Court, the DVCC shares its specialized practices and procedures with courts and technical assistance providers nationwide, and continues to provide guidance to jurisdictions that reach out for assistance. In 2025, The DVCC was awarded continued federal funding to serve as a DV Mentor Court through 2027. This past year, the DVCC hosted courts from Brown Co., WI; Rockland, NY; Marion Co., OR; and Sangamon Co., IL. DVCC staff provided on-site technical assistance to the above jurisdictions and participated in an All Sites Meeting in St. Louis, MO, which brought together all mentor and mentee courts from across the country.