ATTORNEY GENERAL ASHCROFT ANNOUNCES $31.2 MILLION IN AWARDS TO COMMUNITIES TO RESPOND TO VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Attorney General John Ashcroft announced today that the Department of Justice is awarding $31.2 million to promote victim safety and offender accountability in cases of domestic violence, as part of its Grants to Encourage Arrest Policies and Enforcement of Protection Orders Program (Arrest Program). This program is funded under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and administered by the Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW).

“The Arrest Program grants provide communities with resources they need to arrest and prosecute domestic violence offenders,” said Attorney General Ashcroft. “Across our nation, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, the courts, and victims’ advocates are working together to hold abusers accountable for their actions. Through the Arrest Program and other grants, we will continue to support localities as they strengthen and enforce policies that punish abusers and keep Americans safe.”

The primary purpose of the Arrest Program is to encourage communities to adopt a coordinated community response in the treatment of domestic violence as a serious violation of criminal law. This program challenges the entire community to listen, communicate, identify problems, and share ideas that will result in new responses to ensure victim safety and offender accountability.

The Arrest Program challenges victim advocates, police officers, pre-trial service personnel, prosecutors, judges, and other court personnel, probation and parole officers, and community leaders to work together in developing solutions to overcome the problem of domestic violence. All entities must collaborate to ensure the victim safety is given the utmost consideration in developing their strategy to address domestic violence.

“For victims of domestic violence, an effectively trained law enforcement officer, prosecutor, or judge can mean the difference between life and death,” said OVW Director Diane Stuart. “Understanding the complex dynamics of domestic violence is critical to ending the violence altogether. That’s why the training offered through this grant program is so critical.”

The Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) was created in 1995 to implement the Violence Against Women Act and to provide policy guidance to the Attorney General. Today, OVW administers the Justice Department’s 12 Violence Against Women grant programs and provides leadership in the nationwide effort to end domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. By forging state, local, and tribal partnerships among police, prosecutors, the judiciary, victim advocates, health care providers, faith leaders, and others, OVW grants help communities to provide victims with the protection and services they need to pursue safe and healthy lives, and also with the ability to hold offenders accountable.

A list of communities receiving Arrest Program awards is attached. Information about the Arrest Program and other initiatives involving violence against women is available on the OVW website at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/vawo <http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/vawo> or by calling the National Criminal Justice Reference Service toll-free at 1-800-851-3420.

###

04-618