In response to a recent increase in domestic violence cases filed by the Denver District Attorney’s Office, they have chosen to restructure their Family Violence Unit (FVU) to enhance support for victims navigating the criminal justice system.
Last year, prosecutors in the FVU handled over a third of the district court trials and accounted for a quarter of the total courtroom dockets. This is significant considering the decrease in overall violent crime rates in Denver, as noted by Denver District Attorney John Walsh.
The two new units are the Domestic Violence Unit (DVU) and Child Victim Unit (CVU).
Last year, the Denver District Attorney’s Office filed approximately 12% more domestic violence cases than in 2023.
Despite a downward trend in violent crime, the number of domestic violence cases continues to rise. Walsh highlighted the contrast, emphasizing the need for a focused approach to address this concerning trend.
Lilia Onstott
The DVU will house eight prosecutors and the CVU staffs four prosecutors, according to Walsh.
Prosecutors working in the DVU will be responsible for all felony cases where an offender and victim have had an intimate relationship. Currently, the DVU is working on 420 cases.
Denver7 asked Walsh if he believes the increase in domestic violence cases is due to a greater number of victims reporting the crime.
“There is nothing that’s gone on during this period that would suggest that suddenly, more people are reporting domestic violence cases than were doing it before. To the contrary, because of some of the immigration issues, we’re actually quite concerned that undocumented victims of domestic violence are hesitating to come forward now,” Walsh said. “Given that, I think it’s a fair assessment that we’re actually seeing an increase in domestic violence.”
Meanwhile, the CVU will handle all felony cases with victims under 18 years old, focusing on sexual assault on a child and child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury or death.
“We’re talking really difficult, tough cases, and that set of prosecutors — it’s such a unique set of issues that get presented. There’s always medical evidence involved, there’s always the need for experts, and then you have witnesses, kid witnesses, that really presents a different set of challenges in a trial situation,” Walsh said. “It’s really important that we have folks doing those cases, whether they’re the prosecutors, the victim advocates, or the investigators, who really understand how to bring a trauma-informed, child friendly approach to those cases.”
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The trauma-informed approach carries over into the DVU as well.
“Domestic violence continues through the case, so that creates a real power and control dynamic that has to be addressed,” Walsh told Denver7.
Walsh believes the combination of the DVU and CVU in Denver is the largest in the state.
“We’re hopeful that the numbers will come down and we don’t have to grow the units. But the reality is… everyone in those units is carrying pretty high caseload,” Walsh said.
Watch the full interview with District Attorney John Walsh in the video player below:
Survivors of domestic violence understand how difficult the criminal justice system can be for victims. One of those survivors is House Majority Leader Monica Duran — D, District 23.
“I’m a survivor of domestic violence, and I always say survivor, because I will always be one,” Duran said. “For the rest of my life, I’ll be a survivor.”
Duran, who has shared her story publicly, said the power and control dynamics of a domestic violence relationship can be difficult to identify at first.
“At that time, you don’t really think about it that way. All you know is that you’ve been enduring years of abuse — emotional, mental, physical abuse — and you’re afraid to talk about it, because no one talks about it,” Duran said. “It’s one thing for us to endure that abuse ourselves, but then when there is another little human being involved that is totally different. I’ll still always remember that, to this day, of when I took that power and that control back. It was the beginning of a new life for me.”
The new units within the Denver District Attorney’s Office are progress, according to Duran.
“That tells me that we’re actually looking at these cases and realizing that each of them have different needs, right?” Duran said. “This says, ‘Look, we are here for you. We understand what you’re going through. We want to make sure that we meet you where you’re at.'”
When Duran shares her story, she hopes it inspires someone else to begin to break the cycle of domestic violence.
“You can get out. There are amazing organizations out there and advocates and groups and individuals that are ready to help you when you’re ready,” Duran said.
One of those organizations is the Rose Andom Center, a place where survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault can “find the safety, support, and services needed to rebuild their lives and start healing.” Keisha Sarpong is a fatality review program manager at the Rose Andom Center, working to better understand what went wrong in closed domestic violence fatality cases. She partners with the Colorado Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board to identify and analyze domestic violence-related fatalities from the previous year.
“Really piecing together elements of the puzzle before we got to the fatal domestic violence incident, then taking us through the fatal event that day, and then what was the aftermath? What was the criminal justice response? What was the legal system response?” Sarpong explained. “From a prevention standpoint, looking at where there are areas for system gaps or system involvement.”
Sarpong believes the new units within the Denver District Attorney’s Office demonstrate their commitment to the needs of survivors.
“This lets clients and victims know that the Denver DA’s office is on their side, but also that there is a specialized attention and focus to their unique cases,” Sarpong said. “From the lens of homicide prevention, I see this as an amazing intervention point, the creation of these two units, especially to focus on these domestic violence cases.”
Sarpong considers the Denver District Attorney’s Office to be a model for methods that can prevent domestic violence deaths, especially through the seizure of firearms.
Lilia Onstott
In 2022, former Denver District Attorney Beth McCann wrote an opinion piece published in The Denver Post, which stated that the office “hired a firearms relinquishment investigator whose job it is to enforce the law that requires domestic violence offenders to relinquish firearms during the pendency of the case.”
That, Sarpong said, is critical when firearms were involved in 76% of domestic violence related deaths in 2023. She added that Denver was the first District Attorney’s Office to have such a program.
“If you’re looking at what is happening in Arapahoe County, when they’re talking about — ‘we don’t have enough staff for all these cases,'” Sarpong said. “I see this as a prevention to that.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available through Violence Free Colorado or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.
