Battered Women's Justice Project

Battered Women's Justice Project BWJP is the national legal resource for gender-based violence.

The BWJP Criminal and Civil Justice Office focuses on how effective intervention requires inter-agency coordination and policy development that guides individual practitioners in the use of arrest, prosecution, sentencing, victim safeguards, and batterers' intervention programs. The office also handles information on advocacy for victims of domestic violence by military personnel. The office focuses on civil justice issues by providing important leadership aimed at enhancing justice for battered women and their children in the civil legal arena by improving battered women's access to civil justice options and quality legal representation in civil court processes.

Join us on Thursday, October 8th at 8:00 CT for a webinar on effective supervision of domestic violence offenders throug...
10/06/2026

Join us on Thursday, October 8th at 8:00 CT for a webinar on effective supervision of domestic violence offenders through probation based on a human rights perspective. Through this seminar, participants will deepen their understanding of how effective community supervision can strengthen survivor safety and offender accountability in VAWG cases. We will discuss risk assessment and management, survivor-informed supervision, coordination among justice and community-based actors, and responses to violations or escalating risk.

The seminar will also provide an opportunity for participants to exchange experiences, identify common challenges and gaps in current practice, and consider which approaches can be adapted to their own legal, institutional, and cultural contexts.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. This month and always, we stand with survivors.
10/06/2026

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. This month and always, we stand with survivors.

Maryland is taking meaningful steps toward a safer, more coordinated response to domestic violence and fi***rm risk.Safe...
10/05/2026

Maryland is taking meaningful steps toward a safer, more coordinated response to domestic violence and fi***rm risk.

Safeguarding Survivors: Examining Domestic Violence Protective Order Fi***rm Removal Practices to Improve Safety Outcomes

A new statewide assessment from BWJP and Community Legal Services highlights promising practices from across 23 counties and Baltimore City and offers actionable recommendations to strengthen consistency, communication, accountability, and survivor support.

Funded by the Maryland Department of Health Center for Fi***rm Violence Prevention and Intervention, and led by BWJP and Community Legal Services, this report summarizes a statewide assessment of Maryland’s domestic violence protective order (DVPO) fi***rm surrender process, conducted across all 23 counties and Baltimore City to evaluate fi***rm removal practices when DVPOs are issued.

The report identifies key challenges, highlights promising practices, and provides actionable recommendations to strengthen and standardize Maryland's DVPO fi***rm surrender process.

Read the report: https://lms.thelearningcommunitytoendviolence.org/resources/safeguarding-survivors-examining-domestic-violence-protective-order-fi***rm-removal

Join us on Thursday, October 8th at 8:00 EST for a webinar on effective supervision of domestic violence offenders throu...
10/05/2026

Join us on Thursday, October 8th at 8:00 EST for a webinar on effective supervision of domestic violence offenders through probation based on a human rights perspective. Through this seminar, participants will deepen their understanding of how effective community supervision can strengthen survivor safety and offender accountability in VAWG cases. We will discuss risk assessment and management, survivor-informed supervision, coordination among justice and community-based actors, and responses to violations or escalating risk.

The seminar will also provide an opportunity for participants to exchange experiences, identify common challenges and gaps in current practice, and consider which approaches can be adapted to their own legal, institutional, and cultural contexts.

On Monday, October 21, at 10:00-11:15 a.m. PT/Noon-1:15 p.m CT/1:00 - 2:15 p.m. ET, BWJP is hosting a webinar in partner...
10/05/2026

On Monday, October 21, at 10:00-11:15 a.m. PT/Noon-1:15 p.m CT/1:00 - 2:15 p.m. ET, BWJP is hosting a webinar in partnership with the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges on guardian ad litem (GAL) best practices when working with self-represented parties.

Ana Martinez-Mullen, Director of BWJP’s National Legal Center on Children and Domestic Violence, and Deputy Director Tracy Shoberg will introduce the SAFeR Enhanced Best Interest of the Child worksheets, a tool to help GALs synthesize information and strengthen their recommendations and report writing.

Drawing on more than 15 years of practitioner feedback from across the country—and the most up-to-date research on domestic violence, coercive control, and child well-being—we set out to strengthen a tool that practitioners rely on every day. Learn how these tools support deeper, child-centered analysis, whether preparing testimony, informing guardian ad litem recommendations, or helping community advocates frame effective questions.

Several states have enacted Red Flag laws or laws that enable courts to issue orders that are most commonly called Extre...
09/25/2026

Several states have enacted Red Flag laws or laws that enable courts to issue orders that are most commonly called Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs). An ERPO is a civil order that removes fi***rms from an individual who poses an imminent risk of harm to themselves or others. The order prohibits the individual from purchasing, possessing, or receiving fi***rms for the duration of the order.

ERPOs can be used as a tool to prevent both intimate partner violence and community violence, which are inextricably linked! BWJP has created an FAQ for you to learn more:https://bwjp.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ERPO-FAQ.pdf

AI is not a replacement for an advocate, but it is an important tool. As artificial intelligence becomes more widely use...
09/23/2026

AI is not a replacement for an advocate, but it is an important tool. As artificial intelligence becomes more widely used for things like information gathering, language translation, emotional support, documentation, or even creative expression, it’s critical that survivors understand the risks so that they can make informed choices.

To learn more about the potential risks of AI use to support survivors and the advocates who serve them, attend our Ask An Expert on September 30th at 2:00pm: https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fus.list-manage.com%2f10V5nDJcbV2%3fe%3d82f7d338ad%26c2id%3d07927ffdd8c19b11e7712b509ba8daf1&c=E,1,a29FxgTzzvGylVACdZZj8qXk_cTEotOGQK_L2-qLWK9uIV_4UFPvfMk_V4dnFZxCZ6mxhOdgL5hHJf5jISWuAqsaYfWtjdSBoQ_BTXf6&typo=1.

Many thanks to our supporters in Philadelphia, PA who organized a gathering at a local pub to support of the work of BWJ...
09/21/2026

Many thanks to our supporters in Philadelphia, PA who organized a gathering at a local pub to support of the work of BWJP’s National Center on the Defense of Criminalized Survivors. From the powerful songs by John Byrne, the refreshments provided by Fergies, and the donations by talented local artists, the community demonstrated how powerful it can be when we come together to serve survivor justice. Thank you to all for raising funds to continue to deliver necessary legal support services on behalf of criminalized survivors. Your involvement is pivotal to the lasting change we need to gain justice for all survivors.

Various forms of technology-facilitated gender-based violence, such as the non-consensual distribution of intimate image...
09/21/2026

Various forms of technology-facilitated gender-based violence, such as the non-consensual distribution of intimate images (including intimate imagery generated with AI tools), cyberstalking, and sextortion, are increasingly widespread. The devastating consequences of online abuse are often overlooked or minimized, while survivors encounter significant barriers to safety, services, and support.

It isn’t as simple as logging off. To learn more about technology facilitated gender-based violence and strategies to support victims, improve legal response, and foster systemic change here: https://vimeo.com/1203871334?fl=pl&fe=cm

Join us for a demonstration of BWJP's new "plug-and-play" webinar on Strengthening Disaster Response for Survivors of Do...
09/16/2026

Join us for a demonstration of BWJP's new "plug-and-play" webinar on Strengthening Disaster Response for Survivors of Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking. During this session, Laura Kovach and Shawn Griffith of The Cloudburst Consulting Group will show how local training teams can adapt and use with their local emergency management services! Register here: https://events.zoom.us/ev/AlaGsUuf1Sh4mL-uiaa7GW7u1bypHZS7fl7lLYOzGtE0Jx0vpNfs~At3uZDmvLYz3gIMHdInXuibEgoIz2Mwj6t04x8lp2w1cV19nOLRmixSCfQ

Address

540 Fairview Avenue N, Suite 208
Saint Paul, MN
55104

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Thursday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Friday 8:30am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+18009030111

Website

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