McDowell County Joins Remote Court Program, Expands Access for Survivors

Mercer County and McDowell County became the 13th and 14th counties to join the West Virginia Remote Victim Outreach Program, court officials announced during a December 11 press conference. The initiative lets survivors of domestic abuse file petitions and participate in hearings remotely from Stop Abusive Family Environments SAFE, Inc. centers, a move designed to expand access to court protections without requiring petitioners to appear in person.

The program is supported by the West Virginia Supreme Court and linked directly with local SAFE, Inc. advocates who can assist petitioners through the process. “Quite frankly West Virginia is on the forefront of this process throughout the country and, you know, this is another way to show everyone including the southern part of West Virginia the importance of technology,” said Lisa Tackett, director of circuit and family court services with the West Virginia Supreme Court. Tackett noted statewide caseloads, adding “We have in this state around 15 to 16 thousand domestic violence petitions that are filed every year throughout the state, so it has the potential of helping 100% of the individuals that are filing these petitions.”

Court leaders framed the change as both a procedural modernization and a public safety measure. Judge Adam B. Wolfe of the 12th Circuit Family Court emphasized the stakes for children in these cases, saying “The one thing that’s always on my mind in these domestic violence cases is the impact that this has on children and it just traumatizes children for a lifetime, and so anything we can do to keep children in our community safer is going to be really good for our community.” Tackett added that petitioners report the remote process feels less intimidating and helps them learn about available services, saying “Many of the petitioners that fill out, you know, questionnaires after they’ve went through this process talk about the fact that it’s less intimidating, that they feel safer, they feel like that they can talk about exactly what’s going on and they like the idea that they get to know the advocate, and they get to know what type of services that are out there for them.”

The program is funded by federal grants administered through the state Division of Justice and Community Services and the West Virginia Foundation for Rape Information and Services. Mercer residents may use the SAFE, Inc. facility on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. McDowell services are available weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. McDowell SAFE can be reached at (681) 201-2138 during weekday hours, and the SAFE 24/7 hotline is (800) 688-6157.

Demonstrations were open to the public on December 11 in Princeton and Welch, with SAFE representatives appearing remotely to show how petitioning and remote hearings will work. As the program expands to additional counties including Cabell, Greenbrier, Harrison, Jefferson, Kanawha, Lincoln, Mason, Marion, Monongalia, Ohio, Wayne and Wood, local officials will need to monitor outcomes, manage court workload shifts, and ensure sustained funding so remote access remains an effective option for survivors across the region.