Mecklenburg Launches New Pretrial Domestic Violence Program

CHARLOTTE, NC — Mecklenburg County officials are aiming to reduce domestic violence and related arrests in the Charlotte metro through a new domestic violence pretrial education program.

The news comes as the rate of domestic violence has risen in the community, as well as the nation, during the course of the pandemic.

The new 10-week Pretrial Domestic Violence Education Program for pretrial defendants charged with domestic violence is sponsored by the Mecklenburg County Criminal Justice Services, along with community support services departments.

“Since the onset of the pandemic, there has been an increase in the number of domestic violence offenses occurring within our community. This has amplified the need for a service option for those in the pretrial phase,” Sonya Harper, director, Criminal Justice Services, said in a statement.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic began, about 1 out of every three women experienced physical or sexual violence at the hands of their partner, according to UN Women. Calls for help to domestic violence helplines have increased around the globe, and at a time when some countries when resources and efforts have been diverted for COVID-19 response efforts, the organization said.

In the first half of 2020, North Carolinians placed more than 2,500 calls and chats to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, ranking the state tenth in the nation for contact volume. At least 18 percent of those calls — the highest percentage statewide — came from Charlotte, according to the hotline.