Missoula's domestic-violence court aims to resolve misdemeanor cases within 90 days, advocates say

Lisa Tips said she works most of the domestic-violence (DV) court cases and described the program as an expedited process intended to resolve misdemeanor intimate-partner and family-crime cases within a 90-day goal.

"It's an expedited court process...the idea is that they are resolved within 90 days," Tips said, adding the shorter timeline helps keep survivors engaged and can promote better outcomes than typical cases that can last months or years.

Speakers also described the court's post-sentencing structure: regular status hearings and check-ins for defendants intended to ensure compliance and reconnect defendants with treatment or group programs such as abusive partner intervention work. The participants credited Judge Alex Beiel with helping to originate the court's approach.

Advocates cautioned that while DV court shortens timelines and creates supervision structures, it is not a universal remedy: survivors can still choose whether to participate in prosecutions and advocates emphasized their role is to support survivors' choices rather than to represent prosecuting authorities.