110 Judges Receive Instruction About Signals of Spousal Abuse : Seminar: In first workshop on domestic violence, jurists are challenged to rethink their views.

Looking sheepish, the female judges put down their cups of coffee and hollered in unison: “No!” The male judges, just as embarrassed, shrugged their shoulders and shouted back: “What did you say?”

The exercise rattled the judges’ composure. But it was also designed to shake up their attitudes.

At Los Angeles Municipal Court’s first-ever workshop on domestic violence, held Tuesday and Wednesday, speakers challenged all 110 judges to rethink their views on spousal abuse.

Victim advocates have long called for such workshops, complaining that some judges are insensitive to the dynamics of an abusive relationship. In subtle ways, activists say, judges signal that spousal battery is not a serious crime. They may interview victims in the presence of their abuser, dismiss cases when a victim is reluctant to testify, or chide a batterer to stop misbehaving, as though his deeds were no worse than a child’s temper tantrum.

The Los Angeles County Grand Jury this year recommended that all judges receive training in domestic violence issues.

But with battery the greatest cause of injury to women nationwide--prompting more emergency room visits than auto accidents, rapes and muggings combined--judges are increasingly receptive to the subject. Most see domestic violence cases in their courtrooms every week; the LAPD last year arrested more than 8,000 suspects on felony battery charges.

The Municipal Court’s mandatory workshop, funded with a $14,600 grant from the State Justice Institute, “was very, very helpful,” Judge Roy Carstairs said.

For starters, speaker Hamish Sinclair told the judges that spousal abuse cannot be cured simply by telling the perpetrator to control his anger. A former batterer who now runs rehabilitation programs in Northern California, Sinclair said many abusers share a mind-set that women are servants.

To illustrate his point, Sinclair urged the female judges in his audience to start a rebellion by yelling “No!” Then he asked the men to respond with astonishment and anger.

The exchange, Sinclair said, illustrated the societal stereotypes that allow domestic violence to flourish: When a woman exercises her right to disagree, she may trigger a man’s wrathful need to control her.

If judges understand this dynamic, Sinclair added, they will realize that batterers need far more help than a night in jail or a referral to marital counseling. They need an ongoing, in-depth program to uproot their old sexist views.

“You have a chance to stop the course of violence,” Sinclair told the judges. “You can insist that each man who comes before you [on domestic violence charges] gets the message that this is a very serious crime and he needs to get some help.”

Judges picked up a few pointers during the daylong workshop:

* Judge Susan Isacoff said she learned not to refer abusive spouses to joint counseling with their victims. During counseling sessions, batterers may apologize and vow to change. But they often resent having to bare their souls before their spouses--and may take out their fury in a fresh burst of violence.

* Judge Leslie Dunn said she gained new resolve to spend time talking with victims before setting bail. Workshop speaker Anne Seymour, a victims’ rights consultant, emphasized that battered women must be alerted when abusive partners are released from custody.

* Judge John Harris said he felt more hopeful about allowing cases to go forward even when a victim recants and refuses to testify against her alleged abuser.

The workshop reminded judges how hard it is for women to muster the emotional courage and the financial resources to break away from abusive relationships. Many women leave and return several times before leaving for good.

“The criminal justice system may fail to understand that she gains strength each time she leaves, and may become tired of helping her and finding her resources only to have her return,” Seymour said. Furthermore, she said, judges should realize that once a woman does leave, “her batterer will use any opportunity to bring her into court over and over, to cause her to incur legal fees, lose the house, lose the kids, lose whatever’s important to her.”

Seymour also lectured the judges about the cycle of violence, in which a batterer apologizes profusely and behaves tenderly after an outburst.

Women taken in by the loving words--or fearful of future violence--may change their stories and refuse to testify in court. But Seymour urged prosecutors to persevere with other evidence: photos of the bruised woman’s injuries, tapes of a frantic 911 call, testimony from witnesses or police detectives, and the victim’s sworn statements immediately after the incident.

The judges received an update on the LAPD’s new guidelines for dealing with the 65,000 domestic violence calls it handles each year. Detectives now follow up spousal abuse reports within two days of the incident, and check records to see if the victim or perpetrator have been involved in other battery cases, Deputy Chief John White said.

The LAPD is also seeking to develop a crisis hub where victims can talk with detectives, prosecutors, doctors and counselors in a single location, White said.

Expressing amazement at the surge of interest in domestic violence, Seymour praised the LAPD’s approach to the issue and the judges’ determination to learn more about it.

“Five years ago, you would not have had 100 judges in the room asking about domestic violence--it would have been unthinkable,” Seymour said. “It’s like a miracle being here at this workshop. People are taking domestic violence cases seriously now.”