JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT AWARDS OREGON $1.5 MILLION TO COMBAT VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
Contact:
U.S. Justice Department Violence Against Women Office,
????????? 202-307-0703
?? WASHINGTON, July 18 -- Attorney General
John Ashcroft announced today that the Justice Department is awarding $1.5
million to Oregon 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 of
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 John 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 Oregon
more than $9 million in STOP funds since 1997, for total funding exceeding
$20.8 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 billion in overall VAWA funding, a $102.52 million increase over
FY2001.
?? 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 Oregon has used STOP funds to
address crimes of domestic and family violence, sexual assault and stalking by:
?? -- Legislatively defining the crime of
domestic violence and
enhancing
penalties for crimes of domestic violence and sexual
assault;
?? -- Administering state funds for victim
services that include
domestic
violence shelters, safe homes and hotlines;
?? -- Providing five legal service programs in
the state that
provide
assistance in civil cases to victims of domestic violence;
and
?? -- Researching information regarding gaps
in services to victims
that will be
used to reform polices and help direct funding.
?? The State of Oregon help its first
statewide Sexual Assault Summit in 1999; attended by representatives from law
enforcement, advocacy, prosecutor's officers, medical profession and public health
agencies. The Summit lead to the first Task Force on Sexual Assault, which is
working to increase Oregon's resources in responding to sexual assaults. With
the 2001 STOP funds Oregon intends to improve and strengthen intervention and
preventative programs, victim services and outreach to rural communities.
?? The STOP Program is authorized under the
Violence Against Women Act 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.
?? For more information about the Oregon STOP
grant contact Renee Kim, with the Criminal Justice Services Division, in the
Department of State Police, at 503-378-3725. Information about the STOP program
and other initiatives involving violence against women issues is available on
VAWO's Web site at www.ojp.usdoj.vawo or OJP's Web site 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 at
202-616-3266 or pager 888-763-8943.