FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? VAWO
TUESDAY, JULY 24, 2001??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 202/307-0703
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AWARDS ALABAMA $1.8 MILLION
TO COMBAT VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
WASHINGTON, DC - Attorney General Ashcroft announced
today that the Justice Department is awarding $1.8 million to Alabama to
prevent and respond to violence against women, as part 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 develop partnerships among law enforcement, prosecution, the
courts and victim services? to ensure
victim safety and accountability for offenders.
The Justice Department has awarded Alabama over
$11.6? million in STOP funds since 1995,
for total funding exceeding $13.3
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.?
The State of Alabama
has used STOP funds to support law enforcement and victims? services
with emphasis on responses to sexual assaults.
Local domestic violence shelters receive funds to improve services to
women, including emergency safe shelter, court advocacy, counseling and
information, and referral to other sources of assistance.? With the 2001 funds Alabama plans to:
?
Support existing sexual
assault victim service programs at major universities and establish new
programs with other universities;
?
Provide statewide
training and technical assistance to shelters and rape crisis centers;
?
Assist in coordinating
training for law enforcement, judges, prosecutors, and medical personnel to
increase their knowledge and understanding of domestic violence and sexual
assault issues;
?
Support services
provided to victims through the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners and Sexual
Assault Response Team programs; and
?
Enhance outreach
programs to assist underserved populations, including the elderly, Native
American, and Hispanic women.
?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,
??????????? For
information about the Alabama STOP grant contact James Fry, in the Alabama
Department of Economic and Community Affairs, at 334/242-5843. Information about
the STOP program and other initiatives involving violence against women issues
is available on VAWO?s Website at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/vawo
or OJP?s Website at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/, or by
calling the National Criminal Justice Reference Service toll-free at
800/851-3420.
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VAW01133
After
hours contact: Angela Harless on 202/616-3266 or pager #888/763-8943