FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? VAWO
THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 2001???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 202/307-0703
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AWARDS WYOMING $737,000
TO COMBAT VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
WASHINGTON, DC - Attorney General Ashcroft
announced today that the Justice
Department is awarding $737,000 to Wyoming 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 promote partnerships
among law enforcement, prosecution, the
courts and victim advocates to ensure victim safety and accountability
for offenders.
The Justice Department has awarded Wyoming
over $3.8 million in STOP funds since 1995, for total funding exceeding $6.7
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.
Wyoming continues to fund projects that
address identified needs and improve the criminal justice system?s response to
violent crimes against women. ?????????
Current project priorities emphasize:? ???
?
Providing training to law enforcement officers and
personnel in victim-witness assistance programs;
?
Assisting
prosecutors to enforce criminal sanctions for perpetrators of violence against
women;
?
Assisting
non-profit, non-governmental victims services programs; and
?
Meeting the
needs of underserved populations throughout the state.
Wyoming?s
STOP planning committee recently developed model standards for law enforcement
and prosecution dealing with domestic violence victims; these standards will be
implemented statewide once approved.? In
June 2001, a case tracking system is expected to be implemented, allowing data
to be collected and tracked on victims in Wyoming?s shelters and advocacy
programs.? The state will continue to
offer training programs for law enforcement officers, judges, and prosecutors
to address violent crimes against women.
Given the vast rural areas in Wyoming, STOP funds continue to bring
services closer to the victims and to keep victims safe.?
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.
For information about the Wyoming STOP grant,
contact Sharon Montagnino, Director, Division of Victim Services, Wyoming
Office of the Attorney General, at 307/777-7841.? 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.
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VAW01129
After hours contact: Angela Harless on 202/616-3266 or pager
#888/763-8943