ALBANY (AP) — In an attempt to more quickly resolve cases of domestic violence, Linn County is starting a court that will deal specifically with the crime.

The county will be the first in Oregon to have such a court, and hopes to have it running by December.

“It’s an exciting idea,” said Judge Rick McCormick, Linn County’s presiding circuit judge. “It’s the right thing to do.”

A typical case of domestic violence take months to resolve because victims often don’t want to prosecute and defendants may not be in custody. By law, a defendant in custody is entitled to a resolution of the case within 60 days, so those cases take priority.

“Most of the time, the guy is not being held in jail,” McCormick said. “So the case gets knocked around by cases where the guy is in jail.”

With the new court, Each defendant will be arraigned the day after arrest, and the case will be resolved within 45 days. The county will hire a new judge to hear the cases three days a week.

All lower-level domestic crimes, such as fourth-degree assault and harassment, will go through the new court. Any case with more serious charges will go through the normal process.

Delays in prosecuting domestic violence cases are hard on the victims, said Heidi Sternhagen, one of two Linn County deputy district attorneys who will prosecute cases in the new court.

“Many times, the victim — man or woman — wants a change,” Sternhagen said. “But that’s the only way we can effectuate change. We have to first get the conviction.”

A 45-day timeline should give victims more certainty, and having one judge hear all the cases should also help them, Sternhagen said.

“When a judge sees a repeat offender, he or she is much more likely to impose harsher sentences.”

Linn County has between 500 and 700 domestic violence cases each year.

To help establish the court, the county received an almost $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Violence Against Women Office.