A new handbook for victims of domestic violence has been published by the Rachel Coalition together with the New Jersey State Bar Foundation and Partners for Women and Justice.

Now in its second edition, Surviving Domestic Violence: Your Legal Rights has been expanded to serve as a statewide handbook. Various sections have been revised to make the guide more user-friendly.

The 46-page handbook is one of only two statewide guides for victims of domestic violence written in English.

The book is geared not only for victims but for attorneys who take on their cases on a pro bono basis through Partners for Women and Justice.

"What we were trying to do with this book is the same thing we do at the Rachel Coalition: We want to wrap victims of domestic violence in services. That's why so many resources are included," said Suzanne Groisser, staff attorney for the Rachel Coalition.

The guide was produced by Groisser and Marsha Papanek, director of legal programs at the Partners for Women and Justice. Papanek worked on the first edition as a Rachel volunteer.

"After two-and-a-half years working in the trenches of domestic violence, we looked at the book anew and realized the changes we needed to make to make it more user-friendly," said Papanek. The first edition was published in 2003, and the second took over a year to complete.

The book now includes information on a statewide sexual assault hotline, public assistance and compensation, and immigration issues. It offers pull-out cards with a list of state and local resources for everything from legal advice, to counseling services, to food and shelter.

It also includes information on legal issues linked tightly with domestic violence, such as rights surrounding child support, custody, mortgage, and rent. "Domestic violence is not just about keeping the other person away. If you can't support yourself or clothe your children, you have to go back to your abuser," said Groisser.

The handbook clarifies areas Groisser and Papanek identified as problematic. These range from explaining the differences between criminal and civil domestic violence cases and their outcomes, to offering two safety plans, one for those who have already left the abuser, and another for those who haven't.

The handbook was presented Dec. 6 at the Essex County Hall of Records by the Rachel Coalition, Partners for Women and Justice, the Community Relations Committee of United Jewish Communities of MetroWest NJ, the New Jersey State Bar Foundation, and Essex County executive Joseph DiVincenzo.