It won't solve Hawai'i's domestic-violence problem, but establishing a family justice center here likely would help reduce domestic-abuse-related murders, enhance delivery of victim services and bolster efforts to prosecute abusers, several experts endorsing the concept say.

Hawai'i is one of only a few states in which justice centers, supported as a "best practice" by the federal government, aren't already operating or are under development, according to the National Family Justice Center Alliance in San Diego. The centers bring representatives of key law enforcement, legal and social services agencies under one roof to assist victims of domestic violence navigate what can be a grueling process for seeking help and dealing with prosecutions.

In the wake of The Advertiser's recent seven-day series on domestic violence, some officials in Hawai'i's effort to reduce domestic abuse say the time has come for the state to join many other communities across the country in setting up a center. Something more has to be done, they say, because the problem isn't getting any better.

For most of the past decade, Hawai'i has topped the national average each year in domestic-violence murders per capita. It also has a network of judicial and other victim services that has been widely criticized by many who have gone through the process.

Some say dealing with multiple agencies at multiple sites makes the system too cumbersome, complicated and frustrating, discouraging battered women from seeking help.

Government and nonprofit agencies in many areas have had to cut or reduce services because of dwindling revenue — a consequence of the sluggish economy. Still, the relatively small funding outlay needed to plan a family justice center and the efficiencies such a facility would bring to domestic-violence prosecutions and victims' services make this an opportune time to establish one, experts say.

"This is the best time to plan a family justice center, not the worst," said Casey Gwinn, president of the national alliance and chief executive of the YWCA of San Diego County, where the nation's first center opened in 2002.

Since then, the number of domestic-violence murders in San Diego has dropped by 50 percent, Gwinn said, saving taxpayers millions of dollars. The cost of prosecuting and incarcerating a domestic-violence murderer in San Diego averages about $2.4 million per case, he said.

The annual budget of the city's justice center is about $1 million, mostly to rent a building.

'I THINK IT'S A GREAT IDEA'

Some key officials in Hawai'i's struggle to curtail domestic abuse support establishing a justice center here. Prosecutor Peter Carlisle; Police Chief Boisse Correa; and Sens. Suzanne Chun Oakland and Les Ihara Jr., chairwoman and vice chairman, respectively, of the Senate's human services committee, are among those endorsing the concept.

"I think it's a great idea," Carlisle said. "And we've got a golden opportunity now" with the heightened awareness of domestic violence.

Others in the domestic-violence community have mixed feelings about a justice center.

"It seems ideal to have everything in one place," said Nanci Kreidman, chief executive officer for the Domestic Violence Action Center. But diverting resources to a center could be disruptive and raises many logistical questions at a time when agencies are struggling to meet increased demand for services on shoestring budgets, she said.

Having police and prosecutors sharing space with domestic-violence advocates also could prompt some abused women to be reluctant to confide in someone there because of uncertainty about who to trust, she said.

Instead of creating something new, Hawai'i needs to reform the existing system — one marked by a good set of domestic-violence laws — through improved procedures, more training and better enforcement, Kreidman said.

"The question is what would make it more responsive. Just having (services) in one location wouldn't necessarily be the key," she said.

But the alliance's Gwinn said in the hundreds of focus-group surveys of domestic-violence victims that his organization has been involved with, every one has come back with the same basic response: Victims prefer services in one place.

"The real measure of the need for a family justice center does not and should not come from professionals in the field," Gwinn said. "Bureaucracies tend to organize around their own efficiencies and conveniences, not around the efficiencies and conveniences of the victims."

CENTERS ON MAINLAND

The U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women has endorsed the concept of family justice centers as a "best practice," and the federal government provides grants to communities to plan new centers. Since 2002, close to 50 centers have opened nationally and more than 40 more are in the planning stages, according to the San Diego-based alliance. Centers also have opened overseas.

In Justice Department documents, the agency has cited the benefits of family justice centers, including reduction in domestic-violence homicides, increased efficiency in delivering victim services, enhanced victim safety and reduction of fear and anxiety among the abused and their children.

Formerly abused women contacted by The Advertiser said they favor establishing centers in Hawai'i, especially if those staffing the centers are well versed in the dynamics of domestic violence.

"It certainly makes sense," said Jonea Schillaci-Lavergne, a Kaua'i resident. "You want to make the process as easy as possible for victims."

"That would be an incredible benefit for survivors," said Jirivil Wood, another Kaua'i resident. "The system is so inefficient now."

Susan Hippensteele, an associate professor at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa women's studies program, said justice centers can help eliminate obstacles to the network of services, especially for battered women with little or no resources.

"The many, many victims of domestic violence here — the current situation we have in place in some cases has insurmountable barriers," Hippensteele said. "So the victims end up falling through the cracks."

The system tends to be set up more for service providers, not victims, making it difficult to navigate, she added.

TIGHT STATE BUDGET

In recent years, the alliance's Gwinn has had discussions with Hawai'i officials about starting a center here, but the initiatives tended to fizzle for a variety of reasons. Several years ago, Carlisle envisioned a center being built on property next to the main police station, but that site subsequently was designated for a transit facility.

"No one has ever stepped out and taken the lead to make it happen," Gwinn said.

Carlisle said he plans to have his staff research possible sources for the roughly $25,000 needed to start the planning process.

With the state budget so tight, Chun Oakland said she wouldn't expect the Legislature to appropriate money unless an immediate savings could be almost guaranteed.

But she believes locating key services at one site makes sense for victims. "It's definitely something we should be working on."

One of the biggest expenses could be reduced if a government office or building that is not being used or is underused can become the site for a center.

Each center operates differently and is tailored to meet the needs of the community it serves, Gwinn said. Some are storefront operations, some have teams that travel to remote areas to serve clients. Police, prosecutors, domestic-violence advocates and civil litigation representatives are among the staff at the centers. Staff members' salaries are paid by their home agencies.

Some centers provide additional personnel, depending on feedback they get from victims. One Mainland center, for instance, has a locksmith present because women getting restraining orders there said they often needed to have their locks changed on short notice for safety reasons.

The key to any successful center, the experts say, is effective leadership. Managing a multi-agency site can be challenging, especially when the tendency is for each unit to focus on their own priorities.

The challenge would be especially tough on O'ahu because of the different approaches and philosophies among those in the domestic-violence community, according to social workers, law enforcement officials and others.

"This isn't a panacea," Gwinn said.

But it should improve upon what is in place now, advocates said.