West Virginia: STOP Violence Against Women Project Evaluation FY01

• NCJ Number: 205268
• Author(s): Erica Turley B.S.; Stephen M. Haas Ph.D.
• Date Published: March 2004
• Length: 34 pages
• Grant Number(s): 01-VAW-004
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women
• Corporate Author: West Virginia Criminal Justice Statistical Analysis Ctr
• Sale Source: NCJRS Photocopy Services; West Virginia Criminal Justice Statistical Analysis Ctr
• Publication Format: Document (Online)
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Downloaded on May 5, 2004.

Annotation

This report provides a statistical summary and analysis of those victims served by West Virginia's STOP Teams funded under the Violence Against Women Act as part of a 2001 project evaluation.

Abstract

Under the Violence Against Women Act, Title IV of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, the State of West Virginia chose to foster coordination of efforts and the development of strategies responding to crimes against women at the local level by funding proposals submitted by interagency teams, called STOP Teams composed of the local domestic violence services provider, the county prosecuting attorney's office and a local or county law enforcement agency. The intent of each team was to improve the community's ability to protect victims and hold perpetrators accountable. This final report supported by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women offers a statistical summary of victims served by the STOP Teams as part of a project evaluation and including an analysis of all victims reported to law enforcement through incident-based reporting data maintained by the West Virginia State Police. It also provides an analysis of cases reported by funded prosecution team members. The report is divided into three primary sections. The first section assesses the number and characteristics of victims served by the STOP Teams through two data sources. The second section uses the West Virginia State Police Incident-Based Reporting (IBRS) to examine domestic violence incidents reported to law enforcement. The final section assesses the number of cases reported by prosecution team members. It appears that the characteristics of victims have remained consistent. The majority of victims seeking the services of domestic violence programs, law enforcement, and prosecutors are adult White females, seeking services for both emotional and physical abuse. The results underscore the importance of participation from domestic violence victims and law enforcement officers in increasing the likelihood of a successful prosecution. Tables and appendix