In recognizing the serious problem of domestic violence in our community, the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court initiated the Domestic Violence Early Intervention Program (EIP). This program targets domestic violence offenders without prior domestic violence or violent felony convictions. The goal of EIP is to intervene as early as possible in domestic violence cases to prevent recurrence of the incident and possible progression to more serious crimes.

The EIP court staff team consists of a program judge, probation officers and a program manager. This team maintains a close relationship with counseling professionals, victim advocates, prosecution and defense attorneys involved in the case. All EIP participants are assessed for treatment for possible underlying issues such as mental health disorders and substance abuse. The program’s duration is a minimum of twenty four weeks and all participants are held accountable with supervision conditions. Non- compliance issues are dealt with immediately. Should a participant be removed from the program for non-compliance, the case will be returned to the original judge and placed back on the court docket.

EIP is a pre-prosecution program and participants are not required to plea to a specific charge. The underlying charge(s) will be dismissed for successful participants. Eligibility for the program requires voluntary participation by the defendant, a recommendation by the District Attorney, as well as approval from the Court. Additional suitability and eligibility factors include but are not limited to: a thorough criminal history check, a defendant’s willingness to recognize and be accountable for his/her actions that led to the alleged incident, to engage and complete domestic violence counseling, to comply with conditions of supervision, and to undergo random drug and alcohol screenings. The program judge then decides upon acceptance to the program. Upon successful completion of the EIP program, the defendant’s case is dismissed by the program judge as agreed upon.

The Honorable Nina Safier presides over the EIP program which has one of the lowest recidivism rates of any Metro Court program. This low rate of recidivism has been consistent since the inception of the program.

Domestic Violence Early Intervention Program Tracks

Traditional Track:

This track of EIP provides services for Domestic Violence incidents involving intimate partners. This track involves supervision and recognized Domestic Violence treatment.

Family Track:

This track of EIP consists of participants who are involved in Domestic Violence incidents with a family member such as a parent, sibling, or if any children were involved at the time of the incident. This track will require the completion of Parenting Classes in addition to Domestic Violence treatment.

Substance Abuse Track:

This track of EIP provides services for Domestic Violence in addition to Substance Abuse treatment. It should be determined if Substance Abuse was a contributing factor in the incidents involving intimate partners, a family member such as; a parent, sibling, or any children.

Aftercare Track:

During certain instances, participants may have already been enrolled in Domestic Violence treatment prior to entering EIP. Should the participant complete the mandated treatment prior to the 24 week period of EIP, the Probation Officer will effectively monitor the participant until completion of the anticipated time period. Additional counseling may be determined with the consensus of the Judge, Counselor, and Probation Officer.