PIERRE — A South Dakota Senate committee has passed a bill to let the state’s court system examine the use of risk and lethality assessments of domestic violence suspects. Such assessments would help judges determine if bond or other conditions are needed for violating protection orders. State Court Administrator Greg Sattizahn says they want to see if such assessments can make the Court system work better…
Diana Miller represents the Network Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault. She says information has expanded about how the assessments can work…
The task force would sunset in six months and terminate on December 31st if passed by the Legislature and taken up solely by the Unified Judicial System. That short time frame would allow for possible new legislation to be brought to next year’s Legislature.
