'Stop the cycle': Kent Co. launches court program addressing domestic violence

A shift in the narrative starts now.

Kent County is taking a different approach to addressing domestic violence, reversing a trend that leaders, and victims, said has been moving in the wrong direction for too long.

“Today is a bright, shining moment in an otherwise pretty gloomy day," said Charisse Mitchell, CEO of YWCA of West Central Michigan .

Mitchell was one of many local leaders speaking in a District 62-B courtroom in Kentwood Wednesday morning to announce the launch of a community-led intervention program.

“We seek to increase supports to victims of domestic violence and increase accountability for those who perpetrate those acts," said Judge Amanda Sterkenburg, who presides over the District 62-B Court.

The program is called Domestic Violence Specialty Court, which replaces an old system that fell short in the eyes of some victims.

“When supervised parenting time was taken away from my son, 18 days later, he was killed, just as my husband said he was going to do," said Katie Hall, who was in attendance Wednesday.

Recent data from the Kent County Prosecutor's Office shows a gradual increase in domestic violence charges, with a spike in 2022.

Kent County Prosecutor's Office

Hall told FOX 17 a better process could've saved her son's life, compelling her to help create this new approach.

"Even if it was too late for our family, it wasn't for, you know, multiple other people in the same situation," she said.

Two Kent County courts will be dedicated to oversee these cases: 61st District Court in Grand Rapids and District 62-B in Kentwood. Both will take a hands-on approach to "stop the cycle," as Judge Sterkenburg put it.

“The demands and riggers are high, and that is because we want success," she said.

Judge Sterkenburg outlined the expectations for abusers, some of which are summarized in the graphic below:

FOX 17

"We know those with a propensity toward violence have a high likelihood of perpetuating that violence in the future," said Cheri Williams, executive director for Kent County's Domestic Violence Action Network.

The county allocated $4 million in ARPA funds to support such a program through the end of 2026, with the hopes of bringing in even more money to make it permanent.

“It is not one of us. It is not one agency. It is not one person. It is us as a community," said Rachel White, CEO of Safe Haven Ministries . "We know this will take years of work and commitment, but it is possible.”

Judge Sterkenburg said both courts will take on no more than 25 cases each.

To learn more, reach out and get involved, you can visit stopkentviolence.org .

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