The Domestic Violence Prosecution Unit (DVU) in the District Attorney's Office was established as a demonstration project with the primary responsibility of helping victims of family violence. Assistance includes the receipt of complaints and the subsequent investigation and prosecution of these cases, the monitoring of pending criminal cases, advice on legal options, short-term counseling, and referral to appropriate agencies. Over the 3 years, the total case intake for both spouse abuse and child abuse was 8,583. A total of 1,364 criminal charges have been filed in domestic cases since November 1978. Alternative actions are described to the victim prior to any signing of the accusatory instrument, and it is made clear that once the accusatory instrument is signed, victims will not be allowed to drop charges under any circumstances. The following principal goals of DVU were met and surpassed: (1) to focus attention on domestic violence by creating a separate program dealing with this problem; (2) to develop a countywide approach to the problem, using the resources of government, civilian, and educational agencies; and (3) to develop a countywide accounting, reporting, and followup system for the determination of the number of incidents of domestic violence and their disposition by the units involved. Materials used in the program are described, and samples are provided. Current New York domestic violence legislation is explained.