STOP Domestic & Sexual Violence Hosts Milestone Judicial Training Featuring Survivor Voice

Behavioral Health Services North’s STOP Domestic & Sexual Violence (STOP DSV) program recently conducted a landmark training session for local Magistrates, marking a significant step in the program’s ongoing efforts to engage the judicial system and law enforcement.  

The one-hour session, which qualified for Continuing Judicial Education (CJE) credit, was designed to deepen the judiciary’s non-bias understanding of intimate partner violence and the complexities of Intimate Partner violence. In a significant expansion of traditional clinical training, the session featured Director and Survivor of Intimate Partner Violence Tiana Barten, MBA, and a special guest speaker with lived experience. This survivor-led component of the training provided Magistrates with firsthand experience on how judicial decisions and courtroom environments directly impact those seeking safety and justice.

"This training was a tremendous milestone for survivors in our community," said Tiana Barten, STOP Domestic and Sexual Violence Program Director. "Centering the survivor's voice in a room full of judicial leaders ensured that the potential of lethality and complexities of the human element of these cases remained at the forefront of every decision made on the bench."

This session is part of a broader, systematic initiative by STOP DSV to foster a more trauma-informed and responsive legal environment. By engaging directly with Magistrates, law enforcement, and local officials, the program is fostering a collaborative environment where meaningful resources and trauma-informed perspectives are integrated into the pursuit of justice. 

With statistics showing that one in three children and adolescents, one in three women, and one in seven men will experience domestic violence in their lifetime, these system shifts are essential. STOP DSV is moving beyond traditional advocacy to create a unified front that not only supports survivors after violence occurs but works diligently across all levels of the community to prevent it.