FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE????????????????????????????????????????????

FRIDAY, AUGUST 17, 2001??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?? AG?????????????????????

202/616-2777

http://www.usdoj.gov/????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?? TDD 205/514-1888

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AWARDS MORE THAN $4 MILLION

TO COMBAT VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN OHIO

COLUMBUS, OH ‑ Attorney General Ashcroft announced today that the Justice Department is awarding more than $4 million to prevent and respond to violence against women in Ohio.? More than $3.8 million was awarded to the state of Ohio 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) and administered by the Department?s Violence Against Women Office (VAWO).

The Justice Department also awarded $344,000 to the Legal Aid Society of Columbus, to strengthen legal services for women who are victims of violent crime.? The award to the Legal Aid Society is part of the Department?s Legal Assistance for Victims Grant Program, also administered by VAWO.

?"No American should feel outside the protection of the law, or beyond the reach of the law.? Programs like STOP and Legal Assistance for Victims support communities that champion victims ? rights and develop 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 agencies, prosecutors, courts, and victim advocates, to ensure victim safety and accountability for offenders.? Through this funding, states and communities are urged to restructure and strengthen the criminal justice system response to domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, drawing on the expertise of all participants working in the system.

For information about the Ohio STOP grant, contact Stephanie Graubner‑Nelson in the Office of Criminal Justice Services, at 614/728‑8738.? For information about the Legal Aid Society of Columbus grant, contact Marcia Brehmer, Executive Director of the Legal Aid Society of Columbus, at 614/737‑0135.

Information about the STOP program and other initiatives involving violence against women 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

1‑800/851‑3420.

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After hours contact: Angela Harless, 202/616‑3266 or pager #888/763‑8943