(1) One (1) or more local domestic violence coordinating councils may be established in any jurisdiction or group of counties.
(2) Membership on local domestic violence coordinating councils may include, but not be limited to, judges, Commonwealth’s and county attorneys, law enforcement officers, probation or parole officers, spouse abuse center staff, other victim advocates defined under KRS § 421.570, family service workers employed by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, mental health professionals, health care professionals, educators, public advocates, and other persons as deemed appropriate.

Terms Used In Kentucky Statutes 403.705

  • Action: includes all proceedings in any court of this state. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010
  • Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
  • Domestic: when applied to a corporation, partnership, business trust, or limited liability company, means all those incorporated or formed by authority of this state. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
  • State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes territories, outlying possessions, and the District of Columbia. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010
  • Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
  • Treatment: when used in a criminal justice context, means targeted interventions
    that focus on criminal risk factors in order to reduce the likelihood of criminal behavior. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010

(3) The purpose of local domestic violence coordinating councils shall include, but not be limited to, the promotion of public awareness about domestic violence, the facilitation of interagency coordination, and the assessment of service delivery related to domestic violence.
(4) Local domestic violence coordinating councils shall develop a local protocol consistent with nationally recognized practice.
(5) Local domestic violence coordinating councils may, if authorized by the local coroner or a medical examiner, create a domestic violence fatality review team, the purpose of which shall be to prevent future deaths and injuries related to domestic violence.
(6) Domestic violence fatality review teams of local domestic violence coordinating councils may:
(a) Analyze information regarding local domestic violence fatalities to identify trends, patterns, and risk factors;
(b) Evaluate the effectiveness of local prevention and intervention strategies;
and
(c) Recommend, to the appropriate state or local governmental agency, changes in the Kentucky Revised Statutes, administrative regulations, policies, budgets, and treatment and service standards that may facilitate the prevention of domestic violence fatalities. The fatality review team may establish a protocol for the investigation of domestic violence fatalities and may establish operating rules and procedures as it deems necessary to carry out the purposes of this section.
(7) The review of a case by a domestic violence fatality review team may include information from reports generated or received by agencies, organizations, or individuals responsible for investigation, prosecution, or treatment in the case.
(8) The proceedings, records, opinions, and deliberations of the domestic violence fatality review team shall be privileged and shall not be subject to discovery, subpoena, or introduction into evidence in any civil action in any manner that would directly or indirectly identify specific persons or cases reviewed by the local team. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to restrict or limit the right to discover or use in any civil action any evidence that is discoverable independent of the proceedings of the domestic violence fatality review team.
Effective:June 29, 2017
History: Amended 2017 Ky. Acts ch. 80, sec. 51, effective June 29, 2017. — Amended 2005 Ky. Acts ch. 99, sec. 626, effective June 20, 2005. — Created
2000 Ky. Acts ch. 317, sec. 3, effective July 14, 2000.