When to Call Us
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If, in the course of your work, you come in contact with a victim of battering charged with a crime (who might be facing trial or considering a plea, going through a trial, waiting to be sentenced, or whose case is on appeal) or a victim of battering who is in jail or prison, please contact us. Read more. . .
Who We Assist
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Victims of battering charged with any crime in which their history of abuse is relevant (or potentially relevant) to their legal defense. Please note that we do not provide legal representation to individuals but assist defense team members. Read more. . .
How We Can Help You
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The National Clearinghouse provides specialized technical assistance and other resources to defense teams across the nation. Our services are provided free of charge. Read more. . .
How You Can Help Us
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You can help us to be more effective. We count on people like you in the field to keep us up-to-date about activities and developments in your state that affect charged, incarcerated, and reentering victims of battering.
Read more. . .
Types of Cases
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We work on a wide variety of cases, including those involving
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self-defense/defense of others;
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coercion and duress;
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crimes of omission (such as allegedly failing to protect one's children from a batterer's violence);
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charges of parental kidnapping or custodial interference when an abused parent fled with her child(ren) to protect herself and/or her children;
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situations where the history and impact of abuse help to explain a defendant's behavior and/or rebut the mens rea element of the crime;
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other charges directly related to experiences of being battered.
