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

THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 2001?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 202/307-0703

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AWARDS MICHIGAN $3.46 MILLION

TO COMBAT VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

WASHINGTON, DC - Attorney General Ashcroft announced today that the Justice Department is awarding $3.46 million to Michigan 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 Michigan over $21.5 million in STOP funds since 1995, for total funding exceeding $33.4 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 Michigan has used its STOP Formula funds to award community grants to agencies for the purpose of promoting a collaborative effort among community agencies to combat violence against women.? Current project priorities emphasize:

? Developing Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) units;

? Providing extensive sexual assault training for law enforcement officers and prosecutors;

? Funding court advocates and survivor advocates to work closely with law enforcement, prosecutors and the courts;

? Establishing rapid response teams; and

? Coordinating local conferences, workshops and training on domestic violence and sexual assault issues.

With FY 2001 funding, the State of Michigan will continue to fund community programs which focus on combating violence against women.? In addition, funds will be used to maintain and enhance programs developed by statewide partnerships to better address domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

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 Michigan STOP grant, contact Debi Cain, with the Family Independence Agency, at 517/335-6388.? 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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After hours contact: Angela Harless on 202/616-3266 or pager #888/763-8943