Opinion by Retired Judge Eugene M. Hyman
If the pandemic has had any kind of benefit, it’s that it has raised awareness of the functions and dysfunctions of our courts and our prisons. But if the actions we’re taking to correct these problems aren’t considered thoroughly and acted on properly, the cost will likely come at the expense of children and victims of domestic violence and other violent crimes.
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Judge Eugene M. Hyman retired from the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara (San Jose) where, for 20 years, he presided over cases in the criminal, civil, probate, family, and delinquency divisions of the court. He has presided over an adult domestic violence court and in 1999 presided over the first juvenile domestic violence and family violence court in the United States.
Judge Hyman has spoken to both national and international audiences and has published articles on issues surrounding domestic violence in the criminal and family courts-especially with co-occurring issues of substance abuse and mental health. He has a special interest in domestic violence as it affects children in the home and in the family court setting. He has special understanding of sexual abuse, stalking, and strangulation, as they intersect with domestic violence.