OCTEVAW Court Watch

Purpose of Court Watch:

The purpose of Court Watch is to collect quantitative and qualitative data during Domestic Violence court proceedings (one component of the entire Domestic Violence Court program) from the perspective of an outside observer, to examine the functioning of the Domestic Violence Court, case dispositions and sentencing of offenders. 

Read the full project summary

Goals of Court Watch:

1. To increase community and public presence in the Domestic Violence court.
2. To increase public awareness and understanding of how woman abuse cases are responded to within the Domestic Violence court.
3. To work collaboratively with the justice system to improve offender accountability and victim support and safety within the Domestic Violence court.

Judicial Responses that Empower Women who have Experienced Abuse Prioritizing women's safety

How Court Watch Works

The Court Watch program is overseen by the Court Watch coordinator and the Executive Director of OCTEVAW and executed mainly by volunteers. After undergoing training, Court Watch volunteers attend DVC in person at the City of Ottawa Court House located on Elgin St. They bring with them a copy of the Court Watch survey tool and a critical eye and observe and take notes on the proceedings within the court room. Volunteers then report back to the Court Watch coordinator with their completed surveys and notes and the information is recorded.

How do I become a Court Watch volunteer?

In order to become a volunteer with OCTEVAW’s Court Watch program, individuals must meet the following requirements. They must also sign the Court Watch Volunteer Agreement and complete the Court Watch Volunteer Application Form .

Please visit the contact us page for details on how to become a volunteer with Court Watch.

OCTEVAW would like to thank the Minneapolis' WATCH program for providing us with their court monitoring manual as a tool to help structure our Court Watch program.