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VICTIMS OF CRIME ACT VICTIM ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM 2002 RHODE ISLAND STATE WIDE ASSISTANCE REPORT Prepared By: Rhode Island Justice Commission One Capitol Hill 4th Floor Providence, RI 02908-5803 tel: (401)222-4498
STATE FUNDING INFORMATION
A. THE ANNUAL AMOUNT ALLOCATED TO THE VICTIM ASSISTANCE PROJECTS: 1. Appropriations $ 1,000,000 2. Criminal Fines and Penalities $ 0 3. Assessments $ 0 4. Other $ 0 TOTAL:$ 1,000,000
B. TOTAL NUMBER OF AGENCIES FUNDED FROM THE FEDERAL GRANT: 27
C. NUMBER OF SUBGRANTS FUNDED FROM THIS FEDERAL GRANT: 27
VICTIM STATISTICS
A. THE NUMBER OF VICTIMS SERVED BY TYPE OF VICTIMIZATION:
NO. OF NO. OF VICTIMS SERVED VICTIMS SERVED 448 1. Child Physical Abuse 431 7. Adults Molested as Children 1,070 2. Child Sexual Abuse 369 8. Survivors of Homicide Victims 64 3. DUI/DWI Crashes 160 9. Robbery 14,001 4. Domestic Violence 107 10. Assualt 488 5. Adult Sexual Assault 1,175 11. Other 0 6. Elder Abuse TOTAL: 18,313
B. THE NUMBER OF VICTIMS WHO RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING SERVICES:
NO. OF VICTIMS SERVED 10,801 1. Crisis Counseling 2,455 2. Followup 756 3. Therapy 183 4. Group Treatment/Support 38 5. Shelter/Safehouse 13,333 6. Information/Referral (in-person) 8,046 7. Criminal Justice Support/Advocacy 312 8. Emergency Financial Assistance 5,750 9. Emergency Legal Advocacy 6,280 10. Assistance in filing Compensation Claims 2,128 11. Personal Advocacy 2,931 12. Telephone contact Informational/Referral 750 13. Other TOTAL: 53,763
A. EFFORTS TO PROMOTE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE AID TO CRIME VICTIMS: RFP’s, PSA’s, (Both television and radio), Press conferences and billboard advertising on mass transit vehicles and highways are all efforts made by non-profit agencies who receive VOCA funds to promote victim services.
B. EFFORTS TAKEN TO SERVE FEDERAL CRIME VICTIMS: All victims of crime are served. The Rhode Island U.S. Attorney’s Office makes their referrals through their office to the appropriate victim service agency.
C. ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE THE DELIVERY OF VICTIM SERVICES: The Rhode Island Justice Commission has put out to bid and has chosen a contractor from outside Rhode Island to complete a comprehensive and objective victim needs assessment of victims services delivery. The Rhode Island Justice Commission’s Policy Board has convened various subcommittees to address the recommendations of this report. The subcommittees have reported and recommended a merging of various state victim assistance departments into one central department to reduce cost and to streamline services and is still waiting for Policy Board Action.
D. WAYS VOCA FUNDS HAVE BEEN USED TO ASSIST CRIME VICTIMS: The Socio-Economic Development Center for Southeast Asians (SEDC) is a communitybased organization established in 1987 when the four mutual assistance associations serving Rhode Island’s Cambodian, Hmong, Laotian and Vietnamese communities merged to form a coalition to better serve them. American concepts of justice and legal rights. Many Southeast Asian women and families tend to react to violence or abuse with “learned helplessness” because of their experiences in wartorn nations and during their flight from them. Because they bring language capabilities and cultural sensitivities to the cultural communities of Southeast Asian immigrants, SEDC VOCA staff can successfully reach clients and provide services that are culturally appropriate. Outreach is easily accomplished because clients know the staff, recognize them as their own, and mutual trust is well-established. While Southeast Asian-Americans are making progress educationally and economically, many reside in poor, crime-prone neighborhoods. Gang activity in these areas has led to the victimization of Southeast Asian girls in “acquaintance rape” and other situations beyond their power to control. Despite their greater acculturation to American ways, as compared to their parents, Southeast Asian teenage girls who have been victimized are sometimes fearful of seeking help from either culture. Because of particular problems getting Southeast Asian women and girls to disclose their victimization and discuss such sensitive issues, our VOCA Program has not incorporated the use of volunteers. Only experienced professionals, building patient bonds of trust, can be successful in dealing with such sensitive, even dangerous information in this tight-knit, intensely social community. Only a professional staff can guarantee the confidentiality and thereby attain the cooperation and trust - of victims who come forward, sometimes at great personal risk, to share information about abuse and violence. Since 1991, SEDC’s VOCA staff has worked to educate the Southeast Asian communities about the legal consequences of child abuse, domestic violence and sexual assault in this country and the services offered to assist victims of these crimes. SEDC is in its tenth year of providing VOCA services made possible by grants from the Rhode Island Justice Commission. These funds have enabled them to serve 544 primary victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse and neglect within the Southeast Asian population. They have included crisis intervention, referral to shelters, liaison with police officers and court officials, obtaining restraining or no-contact orders, and follow-up services that restore dignity and peace-of-mind to the victims. All services are provided at no charge and without VOCA these services could not exist in this community.
E. ISSUES OR TRENDS IMPACTING CRIME VICTIM SERVICES: The trend of imposing funding caps on VOCA funds without Victims input has now become of such concern that now forces level funding and therefore, discourages growth and innovation within victim service delivery system of Rhode Island. As cost and crime show a trend upward as of Friday, August 09, 2002, the cost of direct service to victims of crime rising as well. Therefore, the level funding that we impose this year is one step before cut backs and hardships, hardships that the direct service community of Rhode Island is already beginning to experience.
F. USE OF VOCA ADMINISTRATIVE FUNDS: The VOCA administrative funds allow for implementation of VOCA programs to be coordinated, funded, and monitored for future trends and impact.