Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Headline: Justice Department Awards More Than $130 Million to Improve Public Safety, Address Violence Against Women and Victim Services for American Indian and Alaska Native People

Awards Include Over $56.3 Million for Responses to Violence Against Women in Indian Country

 

Associate Attorney General Rachel Brand today announced more than $130 million in Department of Justice grants to combat violence against women, improve public safety, serve victims of crime, and support youth programs in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

“Supporting our tribal partners as they work to protect their communities remains fundamental to our mission at the Department of Justice,” said Brand. “These awards stand as a clear expression of our support for Native American women and tribal self-determination and reflect the vital role we believe American Indian tribes and Alaska Native villages play in ensuring the safety of all our citizens.”

Associate Attorney General Brand, the Department’s third ranking official, will make the announcement as part of her remarks during the Department’s participation in the 12th Annual Government-to-Government Violence Against Women Tribal Consultation on the reservation of the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation in Fountain Hills, Arizona. 

On Wednesday, Associate Attorney General Brand will visit a domestic violence shelter in the Gila River Indian Community. Gila River will receive two grant awards this year: one that supports the tribe’s implementation of special domestic violence jurisdiction under the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act and one to enhance the safety of rural victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking.

More than $101 million was awarded to 125 American Indian tribes, Alaska Native villages, tribal consortia and tribal designees through the Department’s Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS), a streamlined application for tribal-specific grant programs.  Of the $101 million, $47.6 million comes from the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), $34.1 million from the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), and $19.4 million from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS).

 

The Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) awarded 101 grants totaling $56.3 million to tribal governments and nonprofit entities to help respond to the crimes of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, stalking and sex trafficking in Indian country.  Of the $56.3 million, $34.1 was awarded through the CTAS application process as noted above and $22.1 million was awarded through other OVW grant programs and special initiatives.

CTAS grants are designed to enhance law enforcement practices, expand victim services and sustain crime prevention and intervention efforts. Awards cover nine purpose areas: public safety and community policing; justice systems planning; alcohol and substance abuse; corrections and correctional alternatives; children’s justice act partnerships; services for victims of crime; violence against women; juvenile justice; and tribal youth programs.

American Indians and Alaska Natives experience disproportionate rates of violence and victimization and often encounter significant obstacles to culturally relevant services. CTAS funding helps tribes develop and strengthen their justice systems’ response to crime, while expanding services to meet their communities’ public safety needs.

Today’s announcement is part of the Justice Department’s ongoing initiative to increase engagement, coordination and action on public safety in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

 A listing of today’s CTAS awards is available at www.justice.gov/tribal/awards. Additional tribal grant awards announced by the Office on Violence Against Women and other department components are available at: www.justice.gov/ovw/page/file/1000416/download.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Headline: Department of Justice Observes World Elder Abuse Awareness Day

On World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, our nation joins the world in voicing our opposition to elder abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation. On this day, the Department of Justice extends its support to elder victims and their loved ones, recognizing with gratitude those who have committed their lives to protecting older Americans, and affirms its unwavering commitment to combatting elder mistreatment in all its forms.

The U.S. Census Bureau projects that that the population of Americans over 65 years of age will increase to 83.7 million in 2050, nearly double its estimated population of 43.1 million as of the most recent census. While many Americans are enjoying longer, healthier lives, far too many older Americans are suffering in the shadows. Some studies suggest that 10 percent of seniors may suffer some form of physical abuse, psychological or verbal abuse, sexual abuse, financial exploitation or neglect. Likewise, other studies suggest that older adults may suffer billions in losses as a result of financial fraud, and that being victimized by financial fraud could lead to higher rates of hospitalization and mortality.

“On World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, the Department of Justice gives voice to those who have suffered from elder abuse, neglect, fraud and exploitation and commits to supporting those who combat elder mistreatment every day,” said Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “The department is dedicated to actively working with our federal agency partners as well as state, local and international law enforcement, prosecutors and civil attorneys, counselors and case workers, and healthcare professionals to address the growing problem of crime targeting the nation’s seniors.”

The Department of Justice, through its Elder Justice Initiative, which includes the work of many Department components, is working on multiple fronts to protect older Americans from elder mistreatment. The Department has aggressively prosecuted mass mailing fraud schemes, such as Jamaican lottery and psychic scams, many of which are international in nature and target seniors. The Department also launched 10 regional Elder Justice Task Forces across the country in California, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Iowa, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Washington to enhance the ability of federal, state, and local authorities to work together to combat elder financial fraud and to pursue those nursing homes that provide grossly substandard care to their Medicare and Medicaid residents. Additionally, in 2016, the Department’s Office for Victims of Crime and the Elder Justice Initiative, in partnership with the Corporation for National and Community Service, established the two-year Elder Justice AmeriCorps program, which received $2 million in Justice Department grant funding to provide legal assistance and support services to victims of elder abuse, neglect and exploitation. Lastly, the Department actively supports state and local efforts to prevent and combat elder abuse in a variety of ways, including:

• Helping older victims and their families by connecting them to available resources, assistance and information on its Elder Justice website: www.elderjustice.gov;

• Advancing our collective understanding of elder abuse through projects like the Elder Abuse Prevention Demonstration Project: www.justice.gov/elderjustice/pr/national-institute-justice-awards-funding-study-elder-abuse;

• Enhancing state and local efforts to combat and prevent elder abuse through the development and dissemination of training materials and resources for prosecutors, law enforcement, civil legal aid workers, victim specialists, and clinicians; and

• Raising public awareness of elder abuse and financial exploitation through the Elder Justice website, webinars, and public meetings.

While some progress has been made in stemming the tide of elder abuse and financial exploitation, there is so much that we still must accomplish. So, on this World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, we ask all Americans to join the Department of Justice in redoubling its efforts to prevent and combat all forms of elder abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation.

More information about the Department of Justice’s elder justice efforts can be found on its Elder Justice Website at https://www.justice.gov/elderjustice.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Headline: Justice Department Awards $500,000 to Initiate Video-Based Services for Deaf Victims

Today the Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) announced an award of $500,000 to the Vera Institute of Justice’s Center on Victimization and Safety to create a plan for establishing a National Deaf Service Line that will enable Deaf victims of domestic violence, sexual violence, dating violence and stalking to speak directly with a Deaf advocate or an individual who is fluent in their preferred mode of communication via video phone 24 hours per day, seven days per week.

For many Deaf individuals, the most effective form of communication is in-person, using sign language or an assistive communication device. Services that are most responsive to the needs of Deaf victims are firmly rooted in Deaf culture and provided by individuals who use the same mode of communication, but such services are often not available because of the limited number of culturally Deaf-specific domestic violence and sexual assault programs.

“Clear communication is essential to helping victims find and receive the services they need,” said OVW’s Principal Deputy Director Bea Hanson. “The National Deaf Service Line will give Deaf victims an enhanced means of accessing safe, culturally appropriate services.” While in-person services remain the best option, remote services, provided by a Deaf advocate, via video phone are the next best option.

The Vera Institute of Justice has worked extensively to end domestic and sexual violence in the lives of individuals with disabilities and Deaf individuals through trainings, technical assistance, conferences and a number of key Deaf-specific initiatives.

With this award, OVW is entering the first of a two-phase project; phase two will be the implementation of the plan the Vera Institute of Justice will developed. The plan will include description of how the National Deaf Service Line will complement the services currently offered to the Deaf community by the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

OVW provides leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to reduce violence against women through the implementation of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and subsequent legislation. Created in 1995, OVW administers financial and technical assistance to communities across the country that are developing programs, policies and practices aimed at ending domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking. In addition to overseeing 21 federal grant programs, OVW often undertakes initiatives in response to special needs identified by communities facing acute challenges. For more information on OVW, please visit www.justice.gov/ovw.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Headline: Justice Department Announces ‘Safer Families, Safer Communities’ Website to Enforce Domestic Violence Firearm Prohibition

Today, the Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) announced the launch of the National Domestic Violence and Firearms Resource Center’s Safer Families, Safer Communities website.  The website is a project of the newly-established resource center, designed to support the implementation and enforcement of domestic violence firearm prohibitions to reduce firearm-involved domestic violence and homicide.

In order to address the challenges that communities face in responding to firearm-involved domestic violence, Safer Families, Safer Communities provides a comprehensive approach for attorneys, prosecutors, court personnel, judges, domestic violence service providers, law enforcement and communities at large.  The website highlights the importance of an approach focused on addressing five key areas: criminal, civil, federal, purchase prevention and resources.  All five areas are implicated in successfully enforcing firearms prohibitions and disarming domestic violence offenders who illegally possess firearms.

The federal Gun Control Act prohibits people who are subject to certain orders of protection and those who have been convicted of misdemeanor crimes against select individuals, among other classes of individuals, from purchasing, possessing and/or receiving firearms and ammunition.  There are also tribal and state laws that have been enacted to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous domestic violence offenders, but due to the complexity of the laws and lack of guidance, these laws can be under-utilized and under-enforced.  Through the assistance available on this website, OVW hopes to help agencies and organizations work together to prioritize victim safety so that communities are able to rise to meet these challenges.

* * *

OVW provides leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to reduce violence against women through the implementation of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and subsequent legislation.  Created in 1995, OVW administers financial and technical assistance to communities across the country that are developing programs, policies and practices aimed at ending domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking.  In addition to overseeing 21 federal grant programs, OVW often undertakes initiatives in response to special needs identified by communities facing acute challenges.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Headline: Department of Justice Awards $9.85 Million to Identify and Prevent Gender Bias in Policing

Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch announced today that the Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) and Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) have awarded a total of 10 grants worth $9.85 million to various national and local organizations that will use the funding to implement the department’s Guidance on Identifying and Preventing Gender Bias in Law Enforcement Response to Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence. 

The department’s guidance reflects input from a wide array of stakeholders and experts, including police leaders, victim advocates and civil rights advocates.  The guidance intends to both examine how gender bias can undermine law enforcement’s response to sexual assault and domestic violence, as well as provide key principles to help ensure that gender bias does not impede efforts to keep victims safe and hold offenders accountable.  Law enforcement agencies are encouraged to incorporate the guidance into clear policies, comprehensive training and effective supervision protocols.

The ten grant awards announced today will provide enhanced training and technical assistance nationally, support research and evaluation and provide resources to law enforcement agencies to implement the guidance. 

Technical Assistance Awards:

• OVW award to International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), $599,742: IACP, in partnership with Futures Without Violence, will implement the Technical Assistance Initiative to Prevent Gender Bias in Law Enforcement Response to Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence.  This project is designed to provide national technical assistance in order to build law enforcement capacity through trainings, highlighting promising practices and developing assessment tools and additional resources to assist local law enforcement agencies in implementing the guidance.
• OVW award to Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), $599,983: PERF, in partnership with End Violence Against Women International with the support of expert practitioners, will provide training and technical assistance to up to five law enforcement agencies and their partner advocacy organizations in implementing the principles identified in the department’s guidance.  The project will also develop and disseminate a guidebook to help other law enforcement agencies implement the guidance.
• OVW award to End Violence Against Women International (EVAWI), $450,000: EVAWI will provide training and technical assistance for law enforcement on identifying and preventing gender bias, with a focus on sexual assault cases. The target audience for this project includes grantees and potential grantees of the Improving Criminal Justice Responses (ICJR) Grant Program, the Rural Grant Program, the STOP Violence Against Women Formula Grants Program, and the Grants to Tribal Governments Program.

OVC Demonstration Initiative Award to IACP, $5 million: With this award, IACP will lead the Identifying and Preventing Gender Bias in Law Enforcement Response to Victims Demonstration Initiative.  The overall goal of this initiative is to build law enforcement’s capacity to develop sustainable strategies to address and eliminate the impact of gender bias on police response to, and investigation of, sexual and domestic violence; and implement agency-wide procedures that are trauma-informed and victim-centered.  IACP, in collaboration with the National Crime Victims Law Institute and federal partners, will competitively select, provide oversight and manage awards for up to six demonstration sites to implement the department’s guidance and improve services to sexual assault and domestic violence victims, including underserved populations.  The National Institute of Justice will assist in developing the evaluation plan and research model for the demonstration initiative. 

OVW Research Award to Sam Houston State University, Texas, $393,049: The team will evaluate a training program based on the department’s guidance for all sworn law enforcement personnel in an urban police department.

OVW Improving Criminal Justice Response Awards: Five grantees under OVW’s Improving Criminal Justice Responses to Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence and Stalking Grant Program identified plans to integrate the principles outlined in the department’s guidance as part of the implementation of their grant project: the city of Salem, Massachusetts, $450,000; St. Louis County, Missouri, $750,000; the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati, Ohio, $450,000; the South Dakota Office of the Attorney General, $750,000; and Human Options, California, $450,000.

Attorney General Lynch made this announcement during a Town Hall at Howard University with youth and law enforcement on increasing diversity in policing and building trust, as part of National Community Policing Week, which President Obama designated as Oct. 2 through 8, 2016, in a proclamation issued on Friday, Sept. 30.  The week is also an extension of the Attorney General’s 12-city Community Policing Tour that highlighted collaborative programs and policing practices designed to advance public safety, strengthen police-community relations and foster mutual trust and respect between law enforcement and citizens.  National Community Policing Week builds on President Obama’s efforts to engage with law enforcement and other members of the community to implement key recommendations from the 21^st Century Policing Task Force report.  As part of the Obama Administration’s commitment to building stronger relationships between law enforcement and the communities they serve, the Department of Justice is leading nearly 400 events in support of community policing efforts around the country. 

For more information, please visit National Community Policing Week or the Attorney General’s Community Policing Tour.

***The information regarding the grant awards was revised on Oct. 28, 2016, to reflect an additional award that had been made.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Headline: Justice Department Announces Nine Studies Focused on Approaches to Life-Saving Work Authorized by the Violence Against Women Act

Today the Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) announced nine new research projects—the first in its Research and Evaluation Initiative launched earlier this year.  All nine awards focus on learning more about effective approaches for doing the life-saving work authorized through the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and examine specific issues related to victims from underserved and marginalized populations.

The Research and Evaluation Initiative emphasizes researcher-practitioner partnerships that can identify effective strategies and lead to sustainable ways of responding to sexual assault, domestic and dating violence and stalking, and reducing the harmful impact of these crimes on victims and communities.

“These new research and evaluation studies are critical because they focus on issues that are extremely understudied – such as culturally-specific programs for Latina victims, the effects of victimization on incarcerated women, restorative justice and gender bias,” said OVW Principal Deputy Director Bea Hanson, Ph.D.  “The more we identify approaches and models that effectively work with specific populations, the more effective we can be in helping victims find the justice they need and deserve.”

OVW’s Research and Evaluation Initiative is developing a comprehensive understanding of what we know about the effectiveness of approaches funded by the VAWA and determine which practices require a closer look and further study.

The nine studies are:
1. University of California, Los Angeles, $399,998: A study of the effects of violence and victimization on incarcerated women and an evaluation of a program designed to reduce the recurrence of violence and victimization in their lives.

2. Washington University, $379,980: An evaluation of an approach to using cognitive processing therapy in rape crisis centers.

3. Community Health and Social Services Center, $348,339: A study of how a culturally-specific program for Latina victims of domestic and sexual violence meets victims’ self-defined needs.

4. University of New Hampshire, $398,857: A study of a trauma-informed residential program for victims of domestic violence who struggle with substance use disorders.

5. International Rescue Committee Inc., $314,666: A study of the experiences, service needs and help-seeking strategies of refugees, asylum-seekers and other newly-arrived immigrants who are victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.

6. University of Kentucky Research Foundation, $499,999: An examination of the healing and self-sufficiency benefits of an agriculture-based program for residents of a domestic violence shelter.

7. Portland State University, $400,000: A study of patterns and disparities in the family court experiences of litigants from cultural and linguistic minority groups.

8. Sam Houston State University, $393,049: An evaluation of a training program for all sworn law enforcement personnel in an urban police department on the Justice Department’s guidance on gender-bias policing.
9. Fund for the City of New York, $271,720: A survey of programs that use restorative justice to address domestic violence and the development of guidelines for these programs.  Restorative justice seeks to rehabilitate offenders through reconciliation with the people and communities they have victimized.

* * *

OVW provides leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to reduce violence against women through the implementation of VAWA and subsequent legislation.  Created in 1995, OVW administers financial and technical assistance to communities across the country that are developing programs, policies and practices aimed at ending domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking.  In addition to overseeing 21 federal grant programs, OVW often undertakes initiatives in response to special needs identified by communities facing acute challenges.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Headline: Justice Department Awards $25 Million to Address Sexual Violence on Campuses

The Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) today announced 61 grants totaling $25 million to help students who are victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking.  In fiscal year 2016, OVW is awarding twice as many grants (45) to institutions of higher education compared to last year.  Also this year, OVW is awarding 16 grants to organizations that will provide legal assistance to victims on campuses.

The recipients of these competitive awards will work to deliver effective, comprehensive and coordinated strategies that help survivors heal; reduce campus sexual and domestic violence; and improve the institution’s response to these crimes.  The awards will make possible a range of services, including specialized training for campus law enforcement, healthcare providers, university housing personnel and others who are often first responders.  The Legal Assistance for Victims Program grant recipients will assist students – who generally do not know about legal options and resources – with legal needs associated with these crimes.

OVW encourages colleges and universities to use data from a campus climate survey to determine their institution’s specific needs and create a customized plan to respond.  Campus climate surveys identify the nature and scope of the problem by describing student behaviors and perceptions, as well as pointing out opportunities for intervention and prevention.  The department developed and validated a free survey that is particularly useful. 

“Schools that individualize their response to sexual, dating and domestic violence are better able to meet the unique needs of their student populations, especially underserved groups,” said OVW Principal Deputy Director Bea Hanson, Ph.D.  “Coordinated, comprehensive responses allow college communities to develop sustainable strategies to address these crimes.” 

Also during September, which is National Campus Safety Awareness Month, OVW has published a series of blog posts on best practices for keeping campuses safe for all.

For more information about campus sexual assault, visit www.changingourcampus.org.

Recipients of Awards under OVW’s Campus Grant Program

Northwest Arkansas Community College; Scripps College (California); Saint Leo University Inc. (Florida); Columbus State University (Georgia); Georgia College and State University, Georgia; Mercy College of Health Sciences (Iowa); Upper Iowa University; Regents of the University of Idaho; Benedictine University (Illinois); Southern Illinois University Edwardsville; Manchester University (Indiana); Grambling State University Student Counseling WRC (Louisiana); Springfield Technical Community College (Massachusetts); Wheaton College (Massachusetts); Loyola University Maryland Inc.; Prince Georges Community College (Maryland); Siena Heights University (Michigan); Winona State University (Minnesota); The Curators of the University of Missouri (Rolla); Coahoma Community College (Mississippi); Jackson State University (Mississippi); North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University; North Carolina Central University; Doane College (Nebraska); Nebraska Wesleyan University; Saint Anselm College (New Hampshire); Felician University, a New Jersey Nonprofit Corporation; Georgian Court University (New Jersey); College of Mount Saint Vincent (New York) Kent State University (Ohio); The University of Toledo (Ohio); The University of Tulsa (Oklahoma); Western Oregon University; Gettysburg College (Pennsylvania); York College of Pennsylvania; Benedict College (South Carolina); University of South Dakota; Austin College (Texas); Texas Lutheran University; Utah State University; Emory & Henry College (Virginia); University of Mary Washington (Virginia); President and Fellows of Middlebury College (Vermont); Carroll University (Wisconsin); and Fairmont State University (West Virginia).
Recipients of Awards under OVW’s Legal Assistance for Victims Program:

Peace Over Violence (California); Pine Tree Legal Assistance (Maine); Casa Myrna Vazquez (Massachusetts); Tubman (Minnesota); Legal Services Eastern Missouri; SAFE Harbor (Montana); Capital District Women’s Bar Association Legal Project (New York); Sanctuary for Families (New York); Legal Aid Society Rochester (New York); Unity House of Troy (New York); Victim Rights Law Center (Massachusetts); Prairie State Legal Services (Illinois); End Domestic Abuse/Wisconsin Coalition; Mid-Minnesota Legal Services; Manhattan Legal Services (New York); and Legal Aid Society of Mid-NY.

* * *

OVW provides leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to reduce violence against women through the implementation of the Violence Against Women Act and subsequent legislation.  Created in 1995, OVW administers financial and technical assistance to communities across the country that are developing programs, policies and practices aimed at ending domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking.  In addition to overseeing 21 federal grant programs, OVW often undertakes initiatives in response to special needs identified by communities facing acute challenges.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Headline: Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch Announces More Than $107 Million to Improve Public Safety, Victim Services for American Indians and Alaska Natives

The Department of Justice today announced more than $107 million in grants to American Indian and Alaska Native communities to improve public safety help victims and strengthen tribal institutions.  The announcement was made at the Eighth Annual White House Tribal Nations Conference, taking place today and tomorrow.  This amount includes 236 grants under the department’s Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS), totaling more than $102 million, to 131 American Indian tribes, Alaska Native villages, tribal consortia and tribal designees.  In addition, the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) announced seven awards worth more than $2 million to help tribes develop plans for implementing changes in their criminal justice systems necessary to exercise their jurisdiction over domestic violence crimes as outlined in the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013.

Also included in the awards announced today are six awards totaling more than $3 million in juvenile justice grants to support the American Indian/Alaska Native Defending Childhood Policy Initiative and a National Institute of Justice grant to study sex trafficking in Indian country.

 “These vital grants support everything from hiring law enforcement officers to empowering native youth, giving tribes the resources they need to meet the particular challenges facing their communities,” said Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch.  “We are also proud to continue support for those tribes exercising greater authority over crimes of domestic violence under the VAWA 2013 tribal provisions, the direct result of a proposal by this Justice Department and written into law by Congress that is today making communities safer and stronger.”  

CTAS provides a single application for tribal-specific grant programs.  The department developed CTAS to streamline support provided through its Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, Office of Justice Programs and OVW and awarded the first round of consolidated grants in September 2010.

Since then, under CTAS, more than 1,600 grants totaling more than $726 million have been provided to enhance law enforcement practices, victim services and sustain crime prevention and intervention efforts in nine purpose areas: public safety and community policing; justice systems planning; alcohol and substance abuse; corrections and correctional alternatives; children’s justice act partnerships; services for victims of crime; violence against women; juvenile justice; and tribal youth programs.

American Indians and Alaska Natives experience disproportionate rates of violence and victimization and often encounter significant obstacles to accessing culturally relevant services.  CTAS funding helps tribes to develop and strengthen tribal justice systems’ response to crime, while significantly increasing programs and services available to them.

A listing of today’s CTAS awards can be found here.  A fact sheet on CTAS is available at www.justice.gov/tribal/grants.

Today’s announcement is part of the Justice Department’s ongoing initiative to increase engagement, coordination and action on public safety in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

Read more about the special domestic violence jurisdiction provisions in VAWA 2013: www.justice.gov/tribal/violence-against-women-act-vawa-reauthorization-2013-0

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Headline: Principal Deputy Director Bea Hanson of the Office on Violence Against Women Delivers Remarks at the National Sexual Assault Conference

Thank you for that kind introduction.  I want to thank the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence and the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault for all of your hard work to make NSAC 2016 a huge success. And, for birthing Raliance and its visionary mission – ending sexual violence in one generation.  Wouldn’t that be amazing?  What an aspiration and inspiration for us all.  Ending sexual violence in one generation.

And a special thank you to all of the presenters and participants for making the commitment to attend this conference and share both your passion and your knowledge.  It’s inspiring to be in a room with so many people working day in and day out to make a real difference in the lives of so many victims and survivors each day.  It is truly the commitment of the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) – since its inception 21 years ago – and the Obama Administration to make sustaining partnerships with you and your organizations to prevent and respond to sexual assault.

Lessons Learned

As this administration comes to a close – hard to believe – my colleagues and I have been reflecting on what we know about sexual violence, what we have learned and the areas in which we believe we need to focus our attention to continue to make strides in preventing and improving our responses to sexual assault.  Some of the key things we have learned are that victims are more likely to go to the police and through the criminal justice system if they have a supportive advocate.  That specialized police units, prosecution units and courts with expertise in sexual violence more often result in better outcomes for victims.  Effective sexual assault prevention programs must be sustained over time – not just a one-shot deal.  Victims who receive comprehensive advocacy and services are more likely to heal and thrive than those who do not.  That testing sexual assault kits matters and requires a victim-centered approach. On-going training of police, health workers, prosecutors, judges and other professionals is instrumental in supporting survivors and responding effectively to sexual violence.  And efforts to address sexual violence are particularly effective when they are combined and integrated into a coordinated community response.

We know that culturally-specific populations such as communities of color, immigrants, the LGBT community, people with disabilities, people who are incarcerated or formerly incarcerated, American Indian and Alaska Native populations often have the highest rates of victimization in our communities.  We need to support the development and growth of culturally-specific organizations to meet the needs of those who are traditionally marginalized in our communities.

During this administration, we have celebrated a number of victories to improve our nation’s response to sexual assault.  I want to highlight just a few of them.  In 2012, Attorney General [Eric] Holder announced that the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report definition of rape was updated from “the carnal knowledge of a woman” to account for all forms of rape, regardless of the victim’s gender, relationship to the offender or the mode of penetration.  It also includes instances in which the victim is incapacitated and thus incapable of giving consent.  Also, in 2012, the department released standards for implementation of the Prison Rape Elimination Act, outlining requirements for correctional facilities to institute a comprehensive approach to preventing and addressing sexual assault.  In 2013, the department released an updated National Protocol for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Exams for Adults and Adolescents and a companion guide designed to assist administrators of prisons, jails and community confinement facilities in responding to reports of sexual assault.  This year, we released a similar protocol for pediatrics.

And, the passage of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 includes an increased emphasis on sexual assault.  It includes designated funding and new purpose areas for sexual assault response teams, sexual assault nurse examiner programs, and specialized law enforcement units.  These activities all promote a coordinated response to sexual assault that is grounded in practices that research tells us are either promising or proven effective.

Sexual Assault Justice Initiative

Last year, at this conference, I announced a new special project at OVW: the Sexual Assault Justice Initiative (SAJI), a partnership between OVW, AEquitas: The Prosecutor’s Resource on Violence Against Women, the National Institute of Justice, RAND Corporation and seven pilot sites that are committed to enhancing their approaches to prosecuting sexual assault.

SAJI involves the development and implementation of performance measures for sexual assault prosecution that look beyond just conviction rates and reflect best practices.  Very few rapes ever result in a conviction and even a case that was handled expertly by the system can still result in an acquittal.  So, through SAJI, we’re looking at how to measure the quality of prosecutors’ work on sexual assault cases in a way that accounts for their use of effective practices, regardless of a case’s final disposition.

Seven site prosecutors’ offices, including the city of Los Angeles; Cobb County, Georgia; Jefferson County, Alabama; Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma; the state of New Hampshire; Sauk County, Wisconsin; and Honolulu, will be receiving technical assistance for implementing best practices that will test the performance measures.  An independent evaluator will look at the impact of the performance measures on charging decisions, case outcomes and victims’ perceptions of justice.  We hope that this project will help prosecutors define and measure success that is truly victim centered.

Gender Bias Policing

As many of you know, last December, the Department of Justice issued guidance to law enforcement designed to combat gender discrimination in how police respond to reports of domestic and sexual violence.  The guidance enumerates eight principles that law enforcement should adhere to in order to identify gender bias and prevent bias from interfering with investigations of crimes for which women and LGBT individuals are most often victims.  The principles include treating victims with respect and fully investigating sexual assault and domestic violence complaints.  The guidance was developed collaboratively with law enforcement and with the involvement of police membership organizations. 

Award Announcements

We are in the process of making awards for fiscal year 2016.  The official notifications are going out every day and everything will be issued by Sept. 30.  But I wanted to alert you to a few specific grant programs.

First, the Sexual Assault Services Program (SASP).  This is the first federal funding stream solely dedicated to providing direct services to victims of sexual assault.  In fiscal year 2016, we are awarding: almost $23 million for SASP formula grants, $3.5 million for culturally specific services and $3.5 million to tribal programs. 

Second, gender-bias.  To support the implementation of the Attorney General’s guidance on preventing and responding to gender bias in policing that I mentioned earlier, OVW is awarding eight grants totaling $4.5 million.  Five of these gender bias awards come out of our “Improving Criminal Justice Response” program to local communities implementing the guidance in their jurisdiction; two are for technical assistance for communities across the country; and one is a research project.

Speaking of research, this year, OVW released its first ever solicitation for research and evaluation.  The National Institute of Justice continues its important violence against women research and funds from OVW will complement that research by funding smaller projects that involve strong collaborative partnerships between researchers and practitioners.  This year we prioritized projects that focus on innovative practices and those that serve marginalized communities.  We received many quality applicants and I’m very happy to announce that we will be awarding nine grants this year totaling $3.3 million and covering a wide and highly promising range of topics.  Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks.

And finally, campus sexual assault awards.  Addressing the issue of sexual assault on college campuses has been a priority for President [Barack] Obama, Vice President [Joe] Biden, Attorney General [Loretta E.] Lynch and men and women on college campuses throughout the country.  At OVW this year, funding to our campus grant program increased from $12 million in 2015 to $20 million in 2016, enabling us to award 45 new campus awards.  In addition, this year we implemented a special campus legal services project as part of OVW’s Legal Assistance to Victims Program to respond to the need for comprehensive approaches to legal services for college and university students who are victims of sexual assault, both on and off campus.  We are awarding a total of 16 grants under this special initiative.  That makes the total award amount for campuses nearly $30 million. 

I would like to take this opportunity to express my deep gratitude to each of you on behalf of the Department of Justice, Attorney General Lynch, OVW and advocates, victims and survivors across the country for the work that you do each and every day.  None of us can solve these problems alone and we need all of us working together to make change possible.

Thank you.