This insures a guaranteed time that victims of domestic violence know that they can appear to be heard by the court. A victim's advocate and prosecutor are available at this time. This change insures that temporary protection orders and bond hearings can be held in the presence of both the offender and the victim. Victims are required to sign recognizance bonds to insure that they will continue to appear at subsequent proceedings. Trial and pretrial dates are set at the time of arraignment within two to three weeks of the filing of the complaint.
Every case is scheduled for jury trial.
These arraignments are typically done by video arraignment thereby preventing the need to bring the victim into the actual presence of the offender. All victims and defendants are required to appear. In addition to the court's rocket docket, the court has been on the forefront of using computers and digital photography to include pictures of domestic violence offenders on warrants and temporary protection orders. This efficient use of technology permits law enforcement agencies to be provided with actual photographs of offenders rather than mere physical descriptions as done in the past.