Washington Courts: Judicial News Report Detail

Announcement of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Kitsap County Summit

A local judge and a member of the state supreme court will mark the beginning of Domestic Violence Awareness Month by announcing a Kitsap County summit meeting to address the problem, when they host a press conference at 9 a.m., Wednesday, October 1 in Port Orchard.

Judge James Riehl, presiding judge of Kitsap County District Court, and Washington Supreme Court Justice Richard P. Guy, will head Wednesday's event, to be held in Room 104 of the county courthouse, located at 614 Division Street. At the conference, the two will reveal plans for a county-wide domestic violence "summit meeting" of local leaders, set for October 18.

In Kitsap County, domestic violence offenders referred to the court's probation officer have doubled over the past five years. Last year, the Bremerton Kitsap County Health District identified domestic violence as its third highest-rated problem, due to the higher than statewide average rate of orders filed for protection from domestic violence.

Riehl says domestic violence is more than a criminal justice system problem, "It's an employee/employer problem, a family health problem, a child's education problem, and a spiritual problem. The criminal justice system is the last venue in which domestic violence issues are seen--and then, it's often too late."

Organized by Riehl, the summit is an outgrowth of earlier efforts sponsored by the state supreme court. The event will be held in Silverdale's President's Hall, and will serve as a statewide model for the court's Gender and Justice Commission, which Guy chairs. Riehl, co-chair of a domestic law committee of the National Conference of Special Court Judges, hopes to see the Kitsap program replicated nationwide.

Fact sheets and agendas can be obtained by calling the number listed above.

LOCAL CONTACT: Judge James Riehl, Kitsap County District Court, (360) 895-3768.