Justice
Department Awards Georgia $2.8 Million To Combat Violence Against Women
Contact:
U.S. Department of Justice VAWO, 202-307-0703
?? WASHINGTON, April 26 -- Attorney General
Ashcroft announced today that the Justice Department is awarding $2.8 million
to Georgia? to prevent and respond to
violence against women.? Georgia is one
of 20 states to receive grants as part of the first round of this year's STOP
(Services, Training, Officers and Prosecutors) Violence Against Women Formula
Grants Program.? This program is funded
under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).
?? "No American should feel outside the
protection of the law, or beyond the reach of the law.? The STOP program supports communities that
champion victims' rights and develops coordinated responses to violence against
women," said Attorney General Ashcroft.
"The funds will give law enforcement and victim services the resources
they need to do a better job of investigating, prosecuting and preventing
crimes against women.? We must continue
to provide our communities with the resources to hold offenders accountable and
to meet the needs of victims."
?? STOP funds are used to promote partnerships
among law enforcement, prosecution, the courts and victim advocates to ensure
victim safety and accountability for offenders.
?? The Justice Department has awarded Georgia
over $17.1 million in STOP funds since 1995, for total funding exceeding $19.4
million under the VAWA grant programs since the enactment of the VAWA
legislation in 1994.? In the President's
FY 2002 budget request, the Justice Department seeks $390 million in overall
VAWA funding, a $102.52 million increase over FY 2001.
?? Through this funding, states and communities
are urged to restructure and strengthen the criminal justice system response to
domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking, utilizing the expertise of all
participants working in the system, including victim advocates.?
?? Since 1995, the State of Georgia has used
its STOP funds to create numerous domestic violence law enforcement teams that
respond to all domestic violence calls in the team's jurisdiction.? This approach has led to law enforcement
officers' increased familiarity with individual domestic violence incidents,
resulting in more appropriate responses to domestic violence calls.? Current project priorities emphasize:
?? -- requiring all law enforcement officers
to complete a domestic violence curriculum;
?? -- increased investigation and prosecution
of known offenders; and
?? -- assigning all domestic violence cases to
a special prosecutor in a particular jurisdiction;
?? In FY 2001, Georgia's Victim Services will
focus on:
?? -- services to victims in the victim's local
area and in some instances, surrounding counties; and
?? -- outreach to neighboring counties and
increased local services, such as referrals, counseling, shelter for domestic
violence victims and advocates for assistance with the criminal justice process.
?? The STOP Program is authorized under the
Violence Against Women Acts of 1994 and 2000.
The STOP grants are awarded by the Office of Justice Programs' (OJP)
Violence Against Women Office (VAWO) to designated state agencies, which must
award 25 percent of the funds they receive to law enforcement, 25 percent to
prosecution, 30 percent to victim services, 5 percent to courts and 15 percent
at the state's discretion for other STOP program purposes.
?? The other states receiving awards today are
California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Montana, Nebraska,
Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina,
Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
?? For information about the Georgia STOP
grant contact Michele Jordan or Martha Gilland, Assistant Division Directors at
the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, at (404) 559-4949.? Information about the STOP program and other
initiatives involving violence against women issues is available on VAWO's
Website at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/vawo or OJP's Website at www.ojp.usdoj.gov, or by
calling the National Criminal Justice Reference Service toll-free at
800/851-3420.
?? After hours contact: Angela Harless on
202/616-3266 or pager no. 888/763-8943
??