PRINTER'S NO. 1445
No. 94 Session of 1997
INTRODUCED BY BRIGHTBILL, JUBELIRER, COSTA, HELFRICK, ULIANA,
O'PAKE, GERLACH, LAVALLE, SLOCUM, GREENLEAF, ROBBINS, MURPHY,
TOMLINSON, HOLL, TARTAGLIONE AND SCHWARTZ, OCTOBER 28, 1997
REFERRED TO JUDICIARY, OCTOBER 28, 1997
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
1 Urging the Supreme Court to establish training programs relating
2 to domestic violence.
3 WHEREAS, In 1996, over 800,000 Pennsylvanians were victims of
4 domestic violence, including approximately 3,400 victims of the
5 most serious violent offenses: murder, aggravated assault and
6 forcible rape; and
7 WHEREAS, Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury
8 among women and one of the leading causes of injury among
9 children; and
10 WHEREAS, Prosecution of domestic violence offenders is
11 oftentimes made more difficult by the existing familial
12 relationship between the victim and the offender; and
13 WHEREAS, It is the firm belief of the members of the General
14 Assembly that victims of domestic violence should be paid
15 particular deference by the criminal justice system because
16 domestic violence erodes the very foundation of our most basic
17 and cherished social unit, the Pennsylvania family; and
1 WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania State Police, the municipal police
2 officers of the various political subdivisions and the deputy
3 sheriffs of the various counties have established a formalized
4 training program on domestic violence issues; and
5 WHEREAS, The training received by the various law enforcement
6 officers of this Commonwealth serves as an invaluable tool in
7 assisting an officer in identification of the symptoms and
8 formulation of an appropriate response to a domestic violence
9 incident; and
10 WHEREAS, Section 10(c) of Article V of the Constitution of
11 Pennsylvania provides that "[t]he Supreme Court shall have the
12 power to prescribe general rules governing practice, procedure
13 and the conduct of all courts, justices of the peace and all
14 officers serving process or enforcing orders, judgments or
15 decrees of any court or justice of the peace...and the
16 administration of all courts and supervision of all officers of
17 the Judicial Branch..."; and
18 WHEREAS, The Supreme Court currently does not require
19 justices, judges and district justices to undergo any formalized
20 training on domestic violence issues; therefore be it
21 RESOLVED (the House of Representatives concurring), That the
22 General Assembly strongly encourage the Supreme Court to
23 establish a formalized training requirement for justices,
24 judges, district justices and all relevant administrative
25 officers of the court on domestic violence issues.
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