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Kalamazoo County is taking a new approach to address domestic violence.

The county unveiled its plan for a "trauma¹ court" on Monday. It's a program that would consider the past trauma and abuse that perpetrators of domestic violence have experienced in their lives, operating under the idea that "hurt people hurt people."

Jeffrey Getting is the Kalamazoo County Prosecutor², and is part of the team proposing this new kind of court.

He says that the county prosecutes³ approximately 1,000 domestic violence cases each year. Around one-third of the perpetrators charged in those cases are repeat offenders⁴. In this proposed court, those repeat offenders would be given specialized⁵ treatment that addresses the root of their behavior. That includes taking a closer look at potential psychological trauma they've experienced.

Jessica Glynn is the senior director of law and policy for the Kalamazoo YWCA, which offers counseling and advocacy for survivors⁶ of domestic violence. Glynn says the nonprofit is in support of the trauma court.

The reality is our current system isn't working. We see the vast majority of people perpetrating domestic violence continue down that path with their current victim or another, Glynn said. So addressing the root cause is compelling.

Domestic violence is an issue that impacts families from all socio-economic groups, says Glynn. But she says middle and upper-middle class families are more likely to deal with it through divorce and child custody⁷ cases, rather than in criminal court.

Getting says he hopes the trauma court can be part of a solution to bring down the overall rate of domestic violence in Kalamazoo County.

1 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。

2 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

3 prosecutes   

检举、告发某人( prosecute的第三人称单数 )； 对某人提起公诉； 继续从事（某事物）； 担任控方律师

参考例句：

• In Great Britain, the Attorney General prosecutes for the Grown in certain cases. 在英国，检察总长在某些案件中代表王室进行公诉。 来自口语例句

4 offenders   

n.冒犯者( offender的名词复数 )；犯规者；罪犯；妨害…的人（或事物）

参考例句：

• Long prison sentences can be a very effective deterrent for offenders. 判处长期徒刑可对违法者起到强有力的威慑作用。
• Purposeful work is an important part of the regime for young offenders. 使从事有意义的劳动是管理少年犯的重要方法。

5 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。

6 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

7 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。