FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
VAWO
FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2001
202/307-0703
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AWARDS OKLAHOMA $1.5
MILLION
TO COMBAT VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
WASHINGTON, DC - Attorney General Ashcroft announced
today that the Justice Department is awarding $1.5 million to Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma over
$9.1 million in STOP funds since
1995, for total funding exceeding $18.4
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.
The State of Oklahoma has used its STOP funds to
initiate a statewide domestic violence fatality review project, improve the
delivery of victim services to various demographic groups, train law enforcement
officers and prosecutors, and allow the district attorneys? offices to hire
prosecutors with the expertise necessary to handle domestic violence
cases.
Current project priorities
include:
?
Continuing to address the
growing need for domestic violence and sexual assault services to victims,
particularly in rural areas;
?
Providing training for
prosecutors, law enforcement and victim service providers to enhance and expand
available services;
?
Creating and expanding
domestic violence teams in law enforcement and prosecutors? offices;
and
?
Providing equipment to
facilitate tracking of protective orders and to enhance arrest
procedures.
With the 2001 funding, the State of Oklahoma hopes to
provide more safety, security and support for victims of domestic violence and
sexual assault.
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 Oklahoma STOP grant contact Virginia Ezell,
with the District Attorney?s Council, at (405) 264-5008. 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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VAW01150
After
hours contact: Angela Harless on 202/616-3266 or pager
#888/763-8943