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we need to change the way violence against women is perceived in our society. We

need to let women victims, the judiciary, other criminal justice personnel, and all

members of society know that violence against women will not be tolerated, and that

those who commit violent crimes against women, including domestic violence, will be

punished to the fullest extent of the law.”

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 At the Conference on Collaborating to S.T.O.P. Violence Against Women 

 Washington, D.C., July 27, 1995 
FOREWORD

This report provides a glimpse of how the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), through its bureaus

and offices, is addressing family violence in all its dimensions. The report offers a broad

overview of the programmatic, statistical, evaluation, and research efforts being supported by

OJP. 

Reflecting our society’s increasing acknowledgment that violence within families is a criminal

and social problem, rather than a private matter, each year we are marshaling more resources at

the federal, state and local levels to address this issue. More programs offering support to

victims of family violence are available today than ever before and, increasingly, they are part of

a coordinated criminal justice system response to this problem. 

As this report outlines, coordinated intra- and interagency efforts are underway in OJP and

across the country to enhance the personal safety of all family members, especially women and

children. An example of this type of collaborative initiative is a program called “Safe Kids -

Safe Streets.” Based on the premise that there is a strong relationship between child abuse and

neglect and subsequent juvenile delinquency, this OJP-sponsored project seeks to break the

cycle of child and adolescent abuse and neglect by encouraging jurisdictions to structure and

strengthen the criminal and juvenile justice systems to be more comprehensive and proactive in

helping children and adolescents. The effort is being funded jointly by the Office of Juvenile

Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Executive Office for Weed and Seed, and the Violence

Against Women Grants Office, with additional support from the Bureau of Justice Assistance,

the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, and the Office for Victims of

Crime. 

Violence in our families is everyone’s responsibility. Silence on this issue is simply

unacceptable. Abuse within the family is as much a crime as assaults perpetrated by strangers. 

Everyone in the community must become involved and help stop the violence. We need to work

with all Americans, in every community, to provide answers and hope for women and families in

need of help. We need to move forward to bridge the span between government and the private

sector. We need to be creative and energetic, envisioning new ideas while focusing on effective,

integrative approaches to the problems of sexual assault and domestic violence.

OJP is committed to devoting its resources and attention to building and strengthening the

response of communities around the country to ending family violence and ensuring that the

family home is not a place of fear. The programs and initiatives outlined in this report are all

part of a national effort to bring harmony into the lives of all Americans.

Bonnie J. Campbell

Director

Violence Against Women Office
TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Mission and Goals of the OJP Family Violence Working Group . . . . . . . . . . . 5

II. Problem Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

III. Family Violence Programs in the Office of Justice Programs 

Violence Against Women Grants Office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Bureau of Justice Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Bureau of Justice Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

National Institute of Justice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

 

Office for Victims of Crime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

IV. OJP Publications on Family Violence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

V. OJP Family Violence Contacts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
5

I. MISSION AND GOALS OF THE OJP

 FAMILY VIOLENCE WORKING GROUP

The mission of the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs (OJP) Family

Violence Working Group is to provide a prominent OJP focus on violent crime within the family

and among intimates by promoting improved intra-agency and interagency information

exchange, coordinated planning, and collaborative projects. This mission is guided by

legislation authorizing the work of the OJP bureaus and offices and by legislation concerning

family violence. 

The OJP Working Group on Family Violence was established by the Assistant Attorney General

in November 1993 and is currently comprised of representatives from seven OJP bureaus and

offices: the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Prevention (OJJDP), the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the Bureau of Justice Assistance

(BJA), the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS); the Violence Against Women Grants Office

(VAWGO); and the Violence Against Women Office (VAWO). The Working Group on Family

Violence is chaired jointly by Bernie Auchter of the National Institute of Justice and Kathy

Schwartz of the Violence Against Women Grants Office. Other members of the Working Group

include Cheri Crawford, Angela Moore Parmley, Cynthia Nahabedian, Lois Mock, and Richard

Titus from NIJ; Marti Speights, Olga Trujillo and Judy Bonderman from OVC; Sharie Cantelon

and Robin Delaney-Shabazz from OJJDP; Diane Craven from BJS; Jennifer Knobe from BJA;

Preet Kang and Kim Cross from VAWGO; Sarah Connell from the VAWO; and Meg Morrow,

Special Assistant to the Deputy Assistant Attorney General of OJP.

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) of 1994 has provided additional impetus to the

Family Violence Working Group’s emphasis on spouse and partner abuse, and its programs to

address rural domestic violence and child abuse enforcement, and encourage arrest policies in

domestic violence cases have provided new opportunities for the group’s activities. The Act is

directed toward a variety of criminal justice problems including domestic violence, sexual

assault, and stalking. It responds to the needs of millions of women who are the victims of

violence each year. The Violence Against Women Act also responds to the need for

fundamental changes in addressing violence against women, and it responds to the special needs

of women in minority and Indian communities who are violently victimized. It provides for a

comprehensive approach to fighting all forms of violence against women through a broad array

of legal and practical reforms. 

To implement the Act, the Department of Justice established the Violence Against Women

Office under the Associate Attorney General and the Violence Against Women Grants Office

within the Office of Justice Programs. Bonnie Campbell is the Director of the Violence Against

Women Office which is dedicated to carrying out the vision of the Violence Against Women Act

by encouraging coordination and cooperation among the various justice and service agencies at

all levels of government. The Office is also working to transform public attitudes toward these

crimes and dispel the notion that these acts of violence against women are private disputes not
6

fit for public scrutiny or legal judgement. 

Chapter 2 under Subtitle A of VAWA is a major effort to provide support to the States and

Indian tribal governments for criminal justice responses and victim assistance efforts. It is being

implemented by the Violence Against Women Grants Office which is administered by Kathy

Schwartz. Details of the program are presented under the section on the Violence Against

Women Grants Office. These VAWA grants are intended to establish on-going interventions that

promote and increase an effective criminal justice system response to violence against women,

and to increase the range of services for the victims of such violence. 

The goals of the working group are to:

 Coordinate and collaborate in planning, funding, and knowledge dissemination activities

within OJP and sharing information with other Federal agencies having responsibilities

in this area;

 Identify and assess the areas that need to be developed through research, evaluation,

training, technical assistance, data collection, demonstration programs, and program

funding through the bureaus and offices of OJP;

 Coordinate, as appropriate, with relevant components in the Department of Justice

including the Violence Against Women Office, the Criminal Division, the Office of

Policy Development, the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, and the

Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys;

 Develop an annual report to the Assistant Attorney General on OJP family violence

programs and projects within the bureaus and offices. The report provides the status of

these efforts, and contains general information on the dimensions of family violence,

OJP publications, and a listing of contacts;

 Review and comment on proposed legislation regarding family violence issues and 

 provide recommendations on family violence to the Assistant Attorney General as 

 requested;

 Meet monthly to exchange information and keep all bureaus and offices informed of

significant events, publications, conferences and meetings that focus on family violence; 

 Encourage involvement in the Working Group by having meetings that are open to all

interested individuals and by inviting members and other staff to meetings with visiting

practitioners, researchers and other family violence experts.
7

II. PROBLEM STATEMENT

Not long ago, what happened within the home was considered to be a private, family matter and

was excluded from scrutiny by the public. During the last two decades, there has been an

increase in awareness of the seriousness of child abuse and neglect, spouse/partner abuse, and

elder abuse not only as critical societal problems but as crimes. As a result, there has been an

increase in the use of the criminal process in addressing family and domestic violence. National

incidence reports and research studies reveal the dramatic increase in family violence and the

increasing tendency to respond to the problem not only as crime within the family but also as the

prevention of crime outside the family. 

The Department of Justice focus on the family violence problem increased with the 1984 report

of the Attorney General's Task Force on Family Violence. The Task Force stated: "A great

proportion of those who assault both strangers and loved ones were raised themselves in violent

households. This is learned behavior. To tolerate family violence is to allow the seeds of

violence to be sown into the next generation." A justice focus on family violence is thus one that

concerns violence prevention as well as a just outcome in individual cases.

Family violence has not only been acknowledged as a critical criminal justice issue, but as a

major public health concern. Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala stated,

“Domestic violence is a serious public health problem. . . We need doctors to do a lot more than

treat injuries. We need our medical personnel to find out how the patient was injured. We need

them to help prevent it from happening over and over. And we need medical workers to learn

guidelines for treating abuse and learn where they can send victims for help. . .” (White House

news conference, July 13, 1995). Similar to justice professionals, medical professionals play a

significant role in the identification, intervention, and prevention of family violence.

The nature and extent of violence within the family is tragic and alarming. The following

statistics and research findings suggests a continued burden and challenge to our society:

 In 1995 an estimated 1,215 children died as a result of child abuse and neglect;

approximately 3,111,000 children were reported as potential victims of maltreatment;

and, of those reported, an estimated 996,000 children were confirmed as victims of

maltreatment by child protective services (National Committee to Prevent Child

Abuse, April 1996).

 In 1995 approximately 10 percent of substantiated child maltreatment cases

(approximately 109,230) involved sexual abuse (National Committee to Prevent Child

Abuse, April 1996).

  There is a demonstrated correlation between early childhood abuse and neglect and 

risk for delinquency, adult criminality, and violent criminal behavior. “Being abused
8

or neglected as a child increased the likelihood of arrest as a juvenile by 53 percent, as

an adult by 38 percent, and for a violent crime by 38 percent” (The Cycle of Violence,

Cathy Spatz Widom, NIJ, 1992, p.1).

 Compared to victims of childhood physical abuse and neglect, victims of childhood 

sexual abuse are at greater risk of being arrested for one type of sex crime:

prostitution. (Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse - Later Criminal Consequences,

Cathy Spatz Widom, NIJ, 1995, p.2). 

  In 43 percent of serious child abuse or neglect cases, at least one parent has a

documented substance abuse problem. Alcohol, cocaine, and heroin were the most

frequently abused drugs (Murphy, Jellinek, Quinn, Smith, Poitrast, and Goshko, Child

Abuse and Neglect, V 15 N 3, 1991).

 According to estimates from the redesigned National Crime Victimization Survey,

women age 12 or older experienced nearly five million victimizations in 1992 and

1993. More than 75% of these victims knew or were related to their attacker, and

injuries occurred more often when the offender was an intimate (Violence Against

Women: Estimates from the Redesigned Survey, BJS, Bachman and Saltzman, 1995).

 Women are six times more likely than men to experience violence committed by an

intimate (Violence Against Women: Estimates from the Redesigned Survey, BJS,

Bachman and Saltzman, 1995).

 Women annually report approximately 500,000 rapes and sexual assaults. Twenty-six

percent of these incidents were committed by an intimate (Violence Against Women:

Estimates from the Redesigned Survey, BJS, Bachman and Saltzman, 1995).

 Offenders committed over a half million violent crimes against a spouse or ex-spouse. 

Of these 9% were rapes or sexual assaults, 6% were robberies, 14% aggravated

assaults, and 71% were simple assaults. ("Criminal Victimization 1993," Lisa Bastian,

BJS, May 1995). 

 Twenty-six percent of all female murder victims in 1995 were slain by husbands or

boyfriends (Crime in the United States, 1995, Federal Bureau of Investigation, 1996).

 Family and intimate assaults involving firearms are 12 times more likely to be fatal 

than assaults that do not involve firearms (Saltzman, JAMA, 3043, 3045, 1992).

 About 5 percent of the nation's elderly may be victims of moderate to severe abuse 

(Elder Abuse: A Decade of Shame and Inaction, Subcommittee on Health and LongTerm Care of the Select Committee on Aging of the U.S. House of Representatives,

May 1990). The National Aging Resource Center on Elder Abuse estimates that
9

nearly 1.57 million older people became victims of domestic elder abuse during 1991.

 According to a survey of states by the Subcommittee on Health and Long-Term Care

only one out of every eight cases of elder abuse is reported (Tatara, National Aging

Resource Center on Elder Abuse, Washington, DC, 1993).

 Neglect is the most common form of elder maltreatment in domestic settings. Fortyfive percent of non self-neglect reports that were substantiated in 1991 involved

neglect (Tatara, National Aging Resource Center on Elder Abuse, Washington, DC,

1993).

 The most frequent abusers of the elderly in domestic settings are adult children. 

Almost 33% of the substantiated cases of elder abuse in 1991 involved adult children

as abusers. Over half of the abusers were male, while approximately two-thirds of

victims were females (Tatara, National Aging Resource Center on Elder Abuse,

Washington, DC, 1993).

 A national survey of criminal justice practitioners reveals that virtually all police

chiefs and sheriffs indicated that domestic violence contributed to workload problems.

Over 91% of the responding prosecutors and 82% of public defenders cited domestic

violence and child abuse cases as contributors to workload problems in their offices.

Of the judges responding to the survey, 79% indicated child abuse cases contributed to

workload problems and 85% indicated domestic violence cases contributed to

workload problems. Finally, two-thirds of jail administrators report domestic violence

as a moderate or major contributor to their jail crowding problems. (National Institute

of Justice, National Assessment Program: 1994 Survey Results, June 1995). 

Given the important role of the criminal and civil justice systems, the limited resources available

to address family violence, and the goals relative to family violence that are embodied in the

Crime Act, particularly the Violence Against Women Act, it is important that OJP and other

DOJ agencies closely examine current efforts, prioritize the use of available funds and resources,

and coordinate efforts within DOJ, and other responsible Federal agencies. 

The Department of Justice has begun to respond with an expanded and coordinated focus on the

many justice related needs surrounding this grave national problem of violence within families. 

One example of the coordinated and collaborative efforts occurring within OJP is the “Safe Kids

- Safe Streets” program. “Acknowledging the correlation between child abuse and neglect and

later violent delinquency and the need to improve system response, OJP set out to create a single

program aimed at helping to break the cycle of early childhood victimization and later juvenile

or adult criminality” (OJP Safe Kids - Safe Streets Joint Solicitation, 1996, p.3). The funding

partners for the program are the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the

Executive Office for Weed and Seed, and the Violence Against Women’s Grants Office, with

additional support being provided by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Bureau of Justice
10

Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, and the Office for Victims Of Crime. The Safe Kids -

Safe Streets initiative represents a unique partnership that pools the resources, experiences, and

expertise of all the OJP agencies. (OJP Safe Kids - Safe Streets Joint Solicitation, 1996, p.3) 

The sections that follow detail further efforts of the OJP offices and bureaus to individually and

jointly address the problem of family violence.
11

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN GRANTS OFFICE

I. Legislative Mandate

In 1994, Congress passed and President Clinton signed into law the Violent Crime Control and

Law Enforcement Act, which included the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) of 1994. The 

Violence Against Women Grants Office (VAWGO) was created within the Office of Justice

Programs (OJP) to establish policy and administer the formula and discretionary grant programs

authorized under this landmark legislation. Through its efforts, VAWGO serves as a catalyst for

bringing about fundamental change in the way communities across this country are addressing

crimes of violence against women and pursuing efforts to ensure victim safety. Working in

partnership with state, local, and tribal government officials as well as private, non-profit

organizations, VAWGO encourages the development and support of innovative, effective

programs for preventing, identifying, and stopping violence against women. 

II. Background

Over the past several years public attitudes towards violence against women have gradually

begun to change. Unfortunately, insidious prejudices, a shortage of reliable information, and the

criminal justice system’s inexperience with the complexities of violence against women have

continued to impede progress. VAWA was enacted in part to provide communities with tools

and resources to change the system’s response to violence against women. The resources

provided under VAWA enable communities to offer a constellation of services from police

departments, prosecutors’ offices, pretrial service agencies, the courts, probation and parole, and

non-profit, non-governmental victim service agencies, thereby creating a seamless web of

support for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking. At its core, this

comprehensive approach was designed, above all, to enhance women’s safety and to bring the

perpetrators of violence against women to justice.

Following the enactment of VAWA in 1994, Congress appropriated $26 million to fund violence

against women programs in fiscal 1995. Lawmakers reaffirmed their support for these programs

in subsequent years by increasing the appropriation to $166 million in FY 1996 and $193 million

in FY 1997.

Upon receiving its funding for fiscal 1994, VAWGO invited states, territories, and tribal

governments to apply for grants to develop and implement a coordinated criminal justice system

response to violence against women. Each grant recipient was required to submit an

implementation plan outlining its priorities for the coming year. To ensure the development

and implementation of responsive, effective programs reflecting local priorities, these plans

were to be produced in consultation with victim service providers, victims’ advocates, and other

interested community members, along with police, prosecutors, and the courts. 
12

The grants and technical assistance provided to violence against women programs in the first

year of VAWA have helped lay the foundation for an ongoing, collaborative system of support 

whose primary mission is ensuring women’s personal safety both within and outside their

homes.

III. Current Programs

S•T•O•P Violence Against Women Formula Grants

To carry out its mandate, VAWGO is implementing the formula grant program known as

S•T•O•P (Services•Training•Officers•Prosecutors) Violence Against Women, which encourages

states and territories to adopt coordinated, multi-disciplinary approaches to addressing domestic

violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Predicated on the belief that no one entity can solve the

problem alone, the S•T•O•P program promotes integrated strategies that seek to unite law

enforcement, prosecution, the judiciary, probation/parole, and victim advocates and service

agencies in their efforts to fight violence against women. This unified approach envisions the

creation of a seamless web of support for women who have sought the protection of the

criminal justice system, as well as outreach to potential victims of domestic violence. 

Programs funded through S•T•O•P grants must meet one or more of the following broad

purposes:

1) training law enforcement officers and prosecutors to more effectively identify and respond to

violent crimes against women, including sexual assault and domestic violence;

2) developing, training, or expanding specialized units of law enforcement officers and

prosecutors targeting violent crimes against women, including sexual assault and domestic

violence;

3) developing and implementing more effective police and prosecution policies, protocols,

orders, and services specifically dedicated to preventing, identifying, and responding to

violent crimes against women, including sexual assault and domestic violence;

4) developing, installing, or expanding data collection and communication systems, including

computerized systems that link police, prosecutors, and courts or that are designed to identify

and track arrests, protection orders, violations of protection orders, prosecutions, and

convictions for violent crimes against women, including sexual assault and domestic

violence; 

5) developing, enlarging, or strengthening victim service programs, including sexual assault and

domestic violence programs to previously underserved populations, such as minorities and

disabled women;
13

6) developing, enlarging, or strengthening programs addressing stalking; and

7) developing, enlarging, or strengthening programs addressing the needs and circumstances of

Indian tribes focusing on violent crimes against women, including sexual assault and

domestic violence.

Each S•T•O•P grantee must allocate 25 percent of its funds to law enforcement, 25 percent to

prosecution, and 25 percent to non-profit, non-governmental victim services, with the remainder

to be distributed at the grantee’s discretion, within the established guidelines.

In FY 1995, the S•T•O•P program was allocated $26 million. VAWGO awarded 56 S•T•O•P

grants to states and territories which in turn awarded more than 650 subgrants. Reflecting the

diversity of needs around the country, States awarded S•T•O•P subgrants to support programs

ranging from those seeking to enhance victim services to those attempting to improve

supervision of perpetrators of violence against women. Communities served range from rural

Wyoming to New York City; from children who witness domestic violence to senior citizens

who are victims of domestic violence; and from students to farm workers. Some of the

recipients of the FY 1995 S•T•O•P program funds include:

& The Farmworker Women Leadership Project in California. The project supports

development of a model for identifying farmworker women in various California

communities to receive training in sexual assault and domestic violence awareness,

prevention strategies, and available resources. These women in turn will train others in their

communities about these issues.

& The Self-Help Center in Wyoming. Under the Center’s phone-lending program, victims of

domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking who have an active protection order are lent

cellular phones to enable them to communicate quickly with emergency dispatchers. The

phones are programmed to call 9-1-1. As part of its outreach and prevention efforts, the

Center, in cooperation with the District Attorney’s Office, the Department of Probation and

Parole, the Sheriff’s Office, and local police departments, has also developed referral cards.

Police officers responding to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking calls encourage

victims to complete these referral cards, which are forwarded to the Center for follow-up

contact with victims to provide them with support, legal advocacy, and services.

& The Delaware Center for Justice. The Center provides such services as court

accompaniment, crisis intervention, and transportation assistance to victims of domestic

violence or sexual assault who are over the age of 50.

& Lamar University in Florida. The University is conducting a detailed analysis of

approximately 230 domestic murder cases in Florida in 1994 to examine why these tragedies

occurred and to develop preventive strategies to reduce the risk of future fatalities.
14

& Family and Children’s Services in Maryland. The program targets children living with

domestic violence by providing counseling and teaching conflict resolution through storytelling and play-acting.

& The Center for Elimination of Violence in the Family, Inc., in New York. The Center offers a

“Mom Survival Skills” support program that teaches non-violent alternatives in child-rearing

to survivors of domestic violence.

& Jewish Family Services of the Jewish Federation of Greater Passaic/Clifton in partnership

with the Passaic County Women’s Center in New Jersey. The program provides a culturallysensitive domestic violence response system to Orthodox Jews and Russian-speaking

refugees from the former Soviet Union. 

& Emory University in Georgia. The University’s School of Medicine, in collaboration with

law enforcement groups and the Georgia Sexual Assault Task Force, will develop a model

sexual assault training curriculum for law enforcement.

Congress appropriated $130 million for the S•T•O•P Program in FY 1996 and $145 million in

FY 1997. Consistent with the objectives established in the first year of the program, S•T•O•P

grant recipients were encouraged in FY 1996 and FY 1997 to build on the foundation laid with

previous years’ investments by continuing their coordinated, multi-disciplinary response system;

to strengthen programs enforcing protection orders both within and among states; and to

increase the number and types of services and criminal justice programs supported with S•T•O•P

funds, including judicial education and court-related projects. The FY 1996 S•T•O•P grants

were awarded in August and September 1996, while the FY 1997 S•T•O•P grants were awarded

in November 1996. Subgrantees for FY ‘96 funds include:

& The Forensics Services Bureau in Idaho. The Bureau provides DNA analysis, expert

testimony and training to assist local authorities manage sexual assault cases more

effectively.

& The Piedmont Judicial Circuit Project in Georgia. This project seeks to provide consistent,

coordinated prosecution and services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault

through circuit-wide team training and automated information-sharing among police officers,

clerk’s offices, emergency dispatchers and judges. The special prosecution team will

manage domestic violence and sexual assault cases from the initial report to the final

disposition. 

& The State Supreme Court in Montana. Funds will be used to develop a manual for

prosecutors and bench books for judges to encourage consistent handling of domestic

violence and sexual assault cases. Funds will also be used for developing additional training

opportunities for judges and prosecutors.
15

Working in partnership with the states, VAWGO will continue to support efforts to eliminate all

crimes of violence against women. Through the S•T•O•P Violence Against Women Grants

Program, VAWGO is committed to building and strengthening the response of communities

around the country to ensuring the personal safety of women and to holding perpetrators of

domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking accountable for their actions. 

S•T•O•P Violence Against Indian Women Discretionary Grants

The Violence Against Women Act mandates that 4 percent of the amount budgeted each year for

the S•T•O•P Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program be awarded to Indian tribal

governments. In FY 1995, the S•T•O•P Violence Against Indian Women (VAIW) Discretionary

Grant Program awarded nearly $1 million to 11 tribal governments and 3 consortia representing

35 villages, 9 pueblos, and 5 tribes, while in FY 1996 the program funded 68 grants totaling $5.2

million. In FY 1997, $5.8 million has been budgeted for this program. Grant funds may be used

for the same broad purposes as outlined above for the formula program.

Similar to the S•T•O•P formula grant program, the VAIW Discretionary Grant program seeks to

reduce and prevent violence against Indian women by encouraging tribal governments to design

and carry out innovative, effective approaches that are sensitive and responsive to the needs of

Native American women. Grantees are required to implement a coordinated and integrated

program developed in collaboration with the various offices of the tribal justice system and nonprofit, non-governmental victim service providers, or women in the community if no non-profits

exist in the jurisdiction. Victim services providers and Indian women from the community must

be an integral part of not only the planning process but also the implementation phase.

For instance, with its S•T•O•P VAIW grant funds, the Osage Nation in Oklahoma has developed

written policies and procedures on domestic violence for law enforcement officers; the

prosecutor and courts are establishing a more specific domestic violence code; the Osage Nation

Counseling Center hired a domestic violence/sexual assault counselor who is available during

non-business hours; and the Counseling Center and the tribal court are collaborating to set up a

treatment group for offenders. In addition, as part of a coordinated response to violence against

Indian women, a community coalition consisting of health care providers, victims, law

enforcement personnel, victim service providers, and Indian women has been established to

explore prevention strategies and collaborate on implementing the strategies identified as most

promising for the Nation.

Similarly, the Oglala Sioux Tribe received a VAIW grant to strengthen its existing efforts to

reduce and prevent violence against Lakota women. Grant funds are being used to train

representatives of various tribal agencies, including mental health and alcoholism programs. 

The Tribe has developed a model domestic violence code to be shared with other tribes across

the country.
16

S•T•O•P VAIW resources are helping to support a cadre of committed individuals who, through

their activities, are raising awareness of domestic violence concerns and seeking to create a

climate of support for addressing this issue within the various Indian nations. The Osage

Nation’s Chief of Police now provides training on police policies and procedures concerning

domestic violence to other Indian nations. Similarly, the director of the Oglala Sioux Tribe’s

domestic violence prevention project is training colleagues from other tribes on the provision of

appropriate services to victims of domestic violence. These activities and resource investments

have led to a significant change in the level of the tribal justice system’s commitment to tackling

domestic violence.

The FY ‘96 S•T•O•P VAIW grants are continuing to build on the gains achieved with the

previous year’s funds, as well as expanding the tribal justice system’s response to domestic

violence. Besides renewing the 14 S•T•O•P VAIW grants awarded in FY ‘95, an additional 54

tribal grantees received funds in FY ‘96, bringing the total number to 68 for fiscal 1996. With

these funds, the programs are enhancing shelter services and hiring law enforcement officers and

prosecutors, who specialize in domestic violence cases. The deadline for submission of grant

applications for FY ‘97 funds is April 15, 1997, for renewals and April 30, 1997, for new

applicants.

To further support tribal efforts, VAWGO is making available $1 million for the Tribal Courts

Development Project. It is a series of initiatives designed to strengthen the tribal courts’

adjudication of domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse cases. Under one of the

initiatives, two tribal governments will receive a total of $365,000 to create family courts to

improve the coordination and handling of cases involving children and families. The family

court will have jurisdiction over marital cases, custody matters, adult criminal proceedings

involving family violence, and juvenile delinquency and dependency cases. A special division

of the courts will manage domestic violence cases.

As part of its effort to support culturally-appropriate judicial responses, this Project is providing

funds to convene a focus group to develop traditional approaches to preventing and reducing

domestic violence and using alternative sentencing when appropriate. The focus group will

define standards for determining which cases are appropriate for traditional adjudication and

identify promising practices in this area.

Under another initiative of the Tribal Courts Development Project, VAWGO is supporting the

development of a domestic violence curriculum for tribal courts by a native organization. The

curriculum will be tested in two regions of the country. In addition, the Project is supporting

several efforts to train tribal court judges on effective judicial management of domestic violence

and sexual assault cases. 

Over the next several years, the S•T•O•P Violence Against Indian Women Discretionary Grant

program will continue to devote resources to restructuring and strengthening the Indian tribal 
17

governments’ response to the needs of Indian women who are, or could become, victims of

violence.

Grants to Encourage Arrest Policies

Traditionally, police officers responding to a domestic violence incident have been reluctant to

become involved, preferring to dismiss the dispute as a private, family matter to be resolved

internally by the couple or through informal counseling and mediation. This hesitation by law

enforcement to treat domestic violence like any other violent crime is not only in deference to

social custom, but also springs from an absence of police protocols for addressing these types of

situations. To fill this void, many police departments around the country began implementing

policies that encourage or even mandate arrests. Currently, at least 27 States and the District of

Columbia have adopted laws that encourage or mandate arrest of an individual who assaults a

family member or violates a domestic violence protection order. The overarching purpose of

these policies is to ensure victim safety and bring perpetrators to justice.

Mandatory arrest and pro-arrest policies, however, are only the first step in ensuring victim

safety and offender accountability. To be successful interventions, arrests must be part of a

coordinated and integrated response by the entire criminal justice system. Mandatory or proarrest policies will be effective: 

& only if police departments implement clear guidelines and protocols for arresting

perpetrators of domestic violence; 

& only if police and prosecutors conduct thorough and careful investigations of domestic

violence cases; 

& only if the courts institute improved management techniques to process domestic violence

cases more efficiently; 

& only if judges impose appropriate sentences; 

& only if batterers remain in custody after they are arrested; 

& only if probation and parole departments enforce protection orders and devise improved

ways to effectively supervise batterers; and

& only if victims feel confident that all professionals in the system are committed to their

safety and the safety of their children. 

The Grants to Encourage Arrest Policies, a new program funded for the first time in FY 1996,

provide resources and support to help states, local governments, and tribal governments treat

violence against women as a serious crime requiring the coordinated involvement of the entire
18

criminal justice system, including police officers, prosecutors, judges, probation officers, and

other court personnel to ensure the victim’s safety. Congress appropriated $28 million for arrest

grants in FY 1996 and $33 million in FY 1997. With the resources provided through this

program, law enforcement agencies, prosecutors’ offices, and the courts will collaborate with

each other and with non-profit, non-governmental victims’ services agencies to develop and

implement programs strengthening the community response to mandatory and pro-arrest

policies. Specific goals of the program are:

& to implement mandatory arrest or pro-arrest programs and policies in police departments,

including mandatory or pro-arrest programs and policies for violations of protection orders;

& to develop policies and training programs in police departments and other criminal justice

and tribal agencies to improve tracking of cases involving domestic violence;

& to centralize and coordinate police enforcement, prosecution, probation, parole, or judicial

responsibility for domestic violence cases in groups or units of police officers, prosecutors,

probation and parole officers, or judges;

& to coordinate computer tracking systems to ensure communication among police,

prosecutors, and both criminal and family courts;

& to strengthen legal advocacy service programs for victims of domestic violence by providing

complete information and support to the victim as the case against the perpetrator develops

and moves through the criminal justice system; and

& to educate judges and others responsible for judicial handling of domestic violence cases

about violence against women and improve judicial handling of such cases.

In December 1996, VAWGO announced 112 grants totaling more than $42 million to states,

counties, and local jurisdictions to implement mandatory arrest policies and to strengthen their

response to crimes of violence against women. In addition, 11 demonstration programs were

funded to explore innovative approaches to combating violence against women in communities

around the country. To ensure the effectiveness of arrest policies, grant funds will be used by:

& Colorado Springs, Colorado, to help its multi disciplinary team of patrol officers, detectives,

prosecutors, victim advocates, and human service case workers identify and respond to highrisk-for-fatality domestic violence cases. The team also will mentor and train law

enforcement officers and victim advocates in surrounding rural jurisdictions.

& Quincy, Massachusetts, to create a new Domestic and Sexual Violence Protection Unit,

which will establish an escort service to encourage and assist victims and a quick response

team to apprehend offenders who threaten victims, abscond, or violate their protection

orders.
19

& Los Angeles, California, to form a partnership among the City Attorney’s Office, the 

California Alliance Against Domestic Violence, and the Police Department to design a

training curriculum aimed at helping police officers identify the aggressor in domestic

violence situations and to distinguish between offensive and defensive injuries.

& The State of Alaska to develop an automated registry to track protective orders for use by the

courts, law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and probation officers; to train rural Village

Public Safety Officers in the mandatory arrest law; and to enable small police departments to

gather evidence necessary for prosecution.

& The Osage Nation of Pawhuska, Oklahoma, to establish a partnership between the Osage

Police Department and all tribal and local law enforcement agencies in Osage County to

respond to domestic violence cases and to create a reservation and county-wide information

and tracking system for domestic violence offenses that will be used by the police, the

courts, and probation and parole officials.

& Dade County, Florida, to develop an intervention program for children and parents who

come from homes where there is a history of domestic violence. The Eleventh Judicial

Circuit of Florida, in cooperation with mental health professionals, child protective services,

and domestic violence advocates, will establish this program.

& Carbondale, Illinois, to create a Coordinating Council consisting of the city’s police

department, the Jackson County State’s Attorney, the county probation office, and the

Carbondale Women’s Center. The Council will review and revise current pro-arrest policies,

develop a policy for responding to issues related to police officers who batter, provide

training to law enforcement officers, prosecutors and probation officers, and review and

revise procedures for intensive supervision of perpetrators of domestic violence.

& LaVergne, Tennessee, to provide a centralized communications database system for the 16th

Judicial District of Tennessee. This system will enable prosecutors, judges, probation

officers, and domestic violence crisis center staff to obtain information about prior incidents

or convictions, pending case dispositions, family circumstances, and available community

resources to allow for informed decision making and sentencing of offenders.

& Austin, Texas, to train law enforcement officers, judges, and prosecutors on crafting more

effective protection orders and developing sentencing practices tailored to individual

offenders. Funds will also be used to initiate long-term counseling for domestic violence

victims and long-term intervention strategies for offenders.

Through its commitment to provide resources and attention, VAWGO is dedicated to supporting
20

efforts by communities around the country to implement mandatory or pro-arrest policies for

perpetrators of violence against women. In addition, support will also be extended to efforts

devoted to implementing mandatory or pro-arrest policies for those who violate protection

orders.

Rural Domestic Violence and Child Victimization Enforcement Grant Program

Although victims of domestic violence face considerable challenges regardless of where they

live, residents of rural communities confront added obstacles: fewer law enforcement resources,

a shortage of victim services, lack of privacy in tight-knit communities, geographic isolation,

cultural pressures to keep family matters private, and an inability to keep locations of shelters

confidential. Unfortunately, few statistics are available about the extent of domestic violence

and child abuse in rural communities. What little is known is based only on those who have

successfully contacted authorities or service providers. While the added barriers are likely to

discourage victims from reporting abuse, there is no reason to believe that these problems are

more or less prevalent there than in other areas of the country. Increasingly, rural areas have

become popular destinations among immigrant communities, whose isolation may be

compounded further by cultural and language barriers.

In response to the unique characteristics of rural communities and the additional hurdles faced

by victims living in these areas, the Violence Against Women Act authorized the creation of the

Rural Domestic Violence and Child Victimization Enforcement Grant Program to address the

needs of rural women and children. This program attempts to improve and increase services

available to rural women and children by encouraging community involvement in developing a

coordinated response to domestic violence and child abuse. As in other areas of the country,

police, prosecutors, judges, non-profit, non-governmental victim service agencies, and

community organizations in rural jurisdictions are required to collaborate in the development

and implementation of programs designed to reduce and prevent violence against rural women

and children.

The Rural Domestic Violence and Child Victimization Enforcement Grant Program seeks to:

& develop and implement policies, protocols, and services intended to promote early

identification, intervention, and prevention of domestic violence and child victimization;

& increase victims’ safety and access to treatment and counseling;

& strengthen the investigation and prosecution of domestic violence and child abuse cases; and

& develop and implement innovative, comprehensive strategies that draw on a rural

jurisdiction’s unique characteristics and resources to enhance understanding of the

complexities of domestic violence and child victimization.
21

Rural grants were awarded for the first time in FY 1996 to support domestic violence and child

victimization programs in 20 rural communities. The grantees received their awards in

September 1996, with programs expected to begin in January 1997. The rural grants program is

supporting efforts by:

& The North Dakota Council on Abused Women’s Services to present educational programs

aimed at increasing community awareness and encouraging appropriate responses to

domestic violence and child victimization in rural and remote communities. In addition, the

Council will create three different booklets targeting three separate populations: victims of

domestic violence, friends and neighbors in remote areas, and high school age students. The

program will also train a cadre of committed individuals in domestic violence and child

victimization crisis intervention skills.

& The State of Vermont to develop a multi disciplinary and unified approach to increasing the

range of domestic violence and child victimization services, as well as improving access to

these services in the remote part of the state known as the Northeast Kingdom. The state

will develop a cooperative relationship between the state child protection agency and the

state’s domestic violence programs.

& The Criminal Justice and Highway Safety Division of West Virginia to increase coordination

of services to women victims of violence in four rural counties, to create transportation

networks to transport rural domestic violence victims to safe houses and shelters, to provide

training to professionals who encounter domestic violence victims, and raise public

awareness.

& The City of Provo, Utah to develop a program that will provide intervention and critical

service referrals to children victimized by crime and to children who witness violent crime in

their homes.

& The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina to establish a domestic

violence/sexual assault unit consisting of specially trained staff who will provide culturally

appropriate services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.

Continuing its commitment to victims of violence in rural areas, VAWGO will be awarding the

FY 1997 Rural Domestic Violence and Child Victimization Enforcement Grants shortly. 

Congress appropriated $8 million for this grant program for FY 1997.

Training and Technical Assistance Grants

As part of its ongoing efforts to enhance the effectiveness of the programs it administers, the

Violence Against Women Grants Office is awarding cooperative agreements to a number of

expert organizations specializing in training and technical assistance on various aspects of

violence against women. These resources enable police officers, prosecutors, judges, victim
22

assistance providers, and others involved in reducing and preventing violence against women to

receive training, education, and support to help strengthen their responses to domestic violence. 

Funds have been awarded to:

& The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence to support ongoing, in-depth training

and technical assistance to states and their subgrantees by holding regional meetings for

State administrators and subgrantees, conducting individualized on-site visits to selected

states, offering phone consultations through a toll-free telephone line, providing resource

materials, making referrals to national experts or peers, and sharing exemplary program

models.

& The Police Executive Research Forum to educate law enforcement leaders about the

Violence Against Women Act and its various programs and to develop a domestic violence

issues curriculum for police officers.

& The American Prosecutors Research Institute to develop four regional workshops for state

and local prosecutors committed to exploring and implementing effective policies for

investigating and prosecuting violence against women.

& The Family Violence Prevention Fund to conduct video teleconferences for judges in Ohio

and Arizona on managing domestic violence cases.

& The International Association of Chiefs of Police to hold four regional workshops on partner

and domestic violence among police officers, to develop strategies for reducing domestic

violence involving police officers, and to produce a focused and comprehensive set of policy

recommendations and program strategies to reduce domestic violence.

& The NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund to provide training to judges in five states on

effective judicial management of sexual assault cases, with the first workshop to be held in

Colorado in March 1997.

& The National Center for State Courts to provide the foundation for assisting state and tribal

courts in achieving greater consistency in issuing protection orders that comply with the due

process requirements of the VAWA and providing enforcement mechanisms that maximize

the safety of and minimize the burdens on victims of domestic violence.

& The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges to collaborate with the Battered

Women’s Justice Project to hold a national conference to educate participants about the full

faith and credit provisions of the VAWA and to design regional plans to address the issues

raised by these provisions.

& The Migrant Clinicians Network, Inc., to collaborate with Ayuda, Inc., to collect information

about the needs of abused migrant women, explore strategies for developing a service
23

network, and formulate plans for helping abused migrant women obtain protection orders.

& The American Bar Association to produce a 50-minute video focusing on four provisions of

the VAWA: the federal interstate domestic violence remedy, the federal civil rights remedy

for gender-motivated violence, the relief available to battered immigrant spouses and the full

faith and credit mandate for protection orders.

& The Battered Women’s Justice Project to hold five peer-to-peer cluster meetings addressing

the statutory goals of the Grants to Encourage Arrest Policies; to provide customized

technical assistance, information and referrals; and to produce monographs on three topics:

pro-arrest policies and battered women charged with crimes, different approaches to the

implementation of prosecution policies on domestic violence cases, and legal advocacy and

improving access to the courts for battered women.

& African American Task Force on Violence Against Women/ Harlem Legal Services to

develop a culturally-based, community-wide initiative to address the needs of African

American women who are victims of violence by assessing and documenting needs,

establishing community linkages, and developing a strategic plan for the implementation of

culturally-sensitive interventions. 

& Minnesota Program Development, Inc. (Mending the Sacred Hoop), to provide direct

assistance through a toll-free hotline and a resource library, to hold program development

consultation meetings, and to provide on-site and peer-to-peer consultations to recipients of

the S•T•O•P Violence Against Indian Women grants .

In addition, VAWGO provided training and technical assistance to Byrne Grant administrators

who also administer S•T•O•P grants during the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) regional

conferences beginning in late August.

IV. Anticipated Plans

Pending Congressional approval of VAWA funding, over the next several years, VAWGO will

continue to support states as they transform the criminal justice system’s response to crimes of

violence against women. Through its various grant programs, VAWGO is committed to

devoting the resources and attention needed to continue to fuel the momentum generated by 

VAWA and help ensure women’s personal safety both within and outside their homes. 
25

BUREAU OF JUSTICE ASSISTANCE

I. Legislative Mandate

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) administers the Edward Byrne State and Local

Assistance Program, which was established by the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 and reauthorized by the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988. The Byrne program consists of a Discretionary

and a Formula Grant Program. The Discretionary Program is designed to determine what is

most effective in criminal justice and drug control, to disseminate that information to State and

local agencies, and to assist in the replication of effective programs and practices. The Formula

Grant Program provides States with funds that are distributed to State and local criminal justice

agencies to implement each State's drug control and violent crime strategy. These funds can be

used to replicate effective demonstration proposals. Family violence is one of twenty-six

purpose areas in the State and local assistance program.

The mission for the Bureau of Justice Assistance is to provide leadership and assistance in

support of local criminal justice strategies to achieve strong neighborhoods and safe

communities. BJA’s programmatic goals are: (1) to promote effective innovative crime control

and prevention strategies; (2) to demonstrate and promote replication of effective crime control

programs that support public-private partnerships, planning and criminal justice system

improvement; and (3) to leverage and efficiently administer available resources. BJA also

develops and tests new approaches in criminal justice and crime control and encourages

replication of effective programs and practices by State and local agencies.

II. Background

Following the Attorney General's Task Force on Family Violence in 1984, which advocated

criminal intervention and prosecution in appropriate cases, BJA funded a series of local

demonstration programs between 1986 and 1990, primarily in prosecutors' offices, showing that

the criminal justice system can successfully prosecute, convict, and sentence abusers. These

programs have also determined that cooperation between criminal justice systems and social

services systems is desirable, if, early on, an approach is fostered and maintained by a

coordinating body comprised of the leaders of the participating agencies. 

These demonstration programs, with accompanying evaluation efforts, involved eleven spouse

abuse intervention projects and seven child abuse prosecution efforts, for a total investment of

over $3.5 million. They were designed to develop and document improved justice system

practices for handling family violence cases. The Family Violence Program resulted in a

comprehensive document entitled Family Violence: Intervention for the Justice Systems. This

publication is a valuable source of information for initiating or enhancing criminal justice

intervention and treatment efforts in a jurisdiction.
26

III. Current Programs

Discretionary Grant Program

The FY96 discretionary grant program includes several projects:

Violence Against Women--Demonstration Sites. Originally awarded prior to the passage of

the Violence Against Women Act, in FY94 three demonstrations sites were identified for their

progressive efforts in establishing a prototype to enhance and coordinate jurisdiction-wide

responses to issues concerning violence against women. Currently, this effort is completing

FY95 project activities identifying mechanisms and procedures which affect the jurisdictionwide coordination of criminal justice agencies, victim services, social services, medical services

and others, as appropriate, to ensure that a jurisdiction's issues and problems concerning

violence against women are handled effectively. There is a city-wide program in Baltimore,

Maryland; a county-wide program in Santa Clara, California; and a statewide program through

the Administrative Office of the Supreme Court of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Two of the

three pilot programs have received new FY96/97 sources of funding through the Violence

Against Women STOP grant and VAWGO discretionary programs.

Violence Against Women--Training and Technical Assistance. The American Prosecutors'

Research Institute, in cooperation with the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court

Judges act as resource centers for the three violence against women coordinating councils. 

Both professional organizations provide technical assistance to support implementation of

critical elements that outline the tasks and responsibilities of the coordinating councils in the

demonstration sites. The scope of the technical assistance includes practitioners in the criminal

and civil courts as well as those working in related areas such as social services, mental health,

battered women's shelters, victim advocacy, and barterer and substance abuse treatment. 

Non-Traditional Law Enforcement Responses to Minority and Low Income Families. This

training program is designed for and presented to law enforcement executives and policy-makers

on how police can effectively deal with potentially violent domestic situations at the earliest

possible point of intervention, in a home, to help resolve problems and avoid the need for a

major criminal justice response at a later date. The National Organization of Black Law

Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), in partnership with the Jefferson Institute train law

enforcement personnel to recognize families in trouble, and respond using social and economic

support systems accessible in the community.

Public Education Campaign to Prevent Date/Spousal Violence. The Foundation for

Advancements in Science and Education (FASE) working in cooperation with Olmos

Productions Inc. (0PI) are collaborating to develop, produce and distribute an original

documentary and supplemental viewers guide to prevent domestic violence as it relates to teen

dating violence. The film, It Ain’t Love, examines domestic violence in relationships between

young men and women, how such relationships are influenced by family, peers and cultural

values, and examines domestic violence in young relationships within the broader context of
27

domination and control through intimidation and violence. The distribution of this film is

expected to reach a national audience of 10 million young men and women.

Formula Grant Program

BJA provides FY96 funds for many family violence programs throughout State and local

jurisdictions. Funding is determined by the Statewide strategy submitted annually to BJA. 

These programs are diverse, including prevention, intervention, and treatment methods

addressing: child abuse, elder abuse, spousal abuse, response teams, prosecution, and multiagency cooperative efforts. The following programs are selected examples of the variety of

projects supported under the FY96 Byrne formula grant program:

HAWAII

Domestic and Family Violence Prosecution Program. Recognizing that expeditious

prosecution of perpetrators is a key element in successful handling of domestic violence cases,

Hawaii County Prosecutor’s Office established a vertical prosecution unit that would allow the

same deputy prosecuting attorney to take the case from intake screening to court disposition. A

county wide interagency task force was established as well, to address the effort of coordinating

workloads of agencies involved in domestic violence to cover gaps in services and to maximize

funding and other resources in training and informational resources.

Multi-Agency Family Violence Program. The objectives of this program are to respond to

domestic violence incidents quickly and effectively by improving case management and patrol

officer training; expedite the prosecution of domestic violence cases by creating a Domestic

Violence Prosecution Team and a career criminal classification system; increase interagency

cooperation by establishing a task force comprising members of law enforcement, social service,

and local government agencies; and to provide treatment and support for victims by providing

crisis counseling on domestic violence calls.

OHIO

Victim Advocacy Project. This project provides victims of domestic violence with judicial

system support to enhance victim safety and improve the responsiveness of the judicial system

to the special needs of domestic violence. The advocates and trained volunteers assist victims

through crisis call response, court accompaniment, completion of temporary protection order

requests, police escorts to recover possessions, and the assistance of pro-bono attorneys when

needed.

The Huron County Prosecutor’s Office Domestic Violence Advocacy Program. The

objectives of this project are two fold: (1) to establish collaboration within Huron County among

the county’s court advocates, human services providers, schools, the domestic violence program

for Huron County and the shelters providing the continuum of services for victims of domestic

violence, and (2) to conduct domestic violence awareness training for children to make them
28

aware of domestic violence and how they can report domestic violence incidences to service

providers. The long range goal of the Huron County Domestic Violence Program is 

to identify children at risk of domestic violence and to build a bridge for them to use to escape

from domestic violence and seek help without fear of retribution.

LOUISIANA

Domestic Violence Prosecution. The objectives of this program are to conduct a

comprehensive evaluation of domestic violence prosecution in each district; form a data

directory of available domestic violence services in each judicial district; conduct a training

conference for Louisiana’s prosecutors that will provide instruction on successfully charging

and trying domestic violence cases; and to present the evaluation directory, and results of the

conference to the Louisiana District Attorneys Association and Louisiana Commission on Law

Enforcement.

Tracking Drug Related Domestic Violence. Through this program 450 defendant participants

will be tracked from arrest or arraignment through final court disposition and/or parole to

measure recidivism for drug and family violence and evaluate successful interventions. The

goals of this program are to reduce drug usage in New Orleans; reduce drug related domestic

violence in New Orleans; and improve communication between New Orleans Municipal Courts

and other Criminal Justice Agencies. 

MASSACHUSETTS

Massachusetts Attorney General’s Elderly Protection Project. The Project provides multidisciplinary training designed to promote collaboration between police officers and local elder

protective service workers, which enhances officers’ skills in reducing, reporting and responding

to instances of abuse, neglect and financial exploitation of older citizens. Training explores the

following topics: the demographics of an increasing elder population and its implications for

police services; myths and facts about aging; effective communication techniques, including

background on the concerns, fears, and vulnerabilities of the elderly; enhanced investigation

through detailed report writing and photographs; financial exploitation in its various forms; the

elder abuse reporting law and coordination with the protective services system; and 

understanding domestic violence and its applicability to the elderly.

MINNESOTA

Largo Domestic Violence Intervention Project. The focus of Largo’s domestic violence

program is to increase the prosecution rate of domestic violence cases and to relieve the victim

from the burden of prosecution through enhanced evidence gathering at the scene. This would

supply attorneys, judges, and abuse shelters with the most complete information in the most

expeditious manner possible. 

MISSISSIPPI
29

The Mississippi Children’s Advocacy Center. The Mississippi Children’s Advocacy Center

(MCAC) was opened to provide intervention, assessment, and treatment services to child

victims and their families. The goals of the MCAC are to provide a safe, child-oriented facility

to serve the needs of abused children; provide intervention, assessment, and treatment by trained

therapists; provide education and support to families of abused children; and improve case

management.

MONTANA

Cascade County Attorney’s Office: Campaign to Combat Child Abuse. The goal of this

program is to deter further abuse through prompt prosecution of cases. Cascade County

Attorney’s office has hired a special prosecutor for child abuse/neglect cases. This prosecutor

will work closely with the Youth Court Judge to eliminate delays and continuances in court

hearings and improve overall court services to child victims. The special prosecutor will also

provide training and education to members of the legal profession on child abuse/neglect,

especially child sexual abuse. The project will also gather experts to speak on this topic to

community gatherings such as PTA meetings. Informational handouts will be distributed as

well as a video tape wherein professionals from several disciplines address child abuse/neglect

issues. The video tape will be presented to groups and used as public service spots. 

NORTH CAROLINA

Cumberland County Child Abuse Investigators. This project develops and utilizes a multidisciplinary team approach to child abuse and neglect cases. This reduces the trauma victims

and families encounter by reducing the number of times a victim is interviewed. With this

approach it is hoped that no child will have to be interviewed about their abuse more than twice. 

SOUTH CAROLINA

Criminal Sexual Assault Investigator. The goal of the Child Sexual Abuse Special

Investigator is to enhance investigation and thereby prosecution of child sexual abuse cases. 

The Special Investigator receives reports of child sexual abuse through an incident report,

referral letter from the Department of Social Services, schools or hospitals. The investigator,

who is assigned solely to sexual abuse cases, then initiates an investigation that includes

interviews, medical examinations and witness statements. When appropriate, charges are filed. 

If the Department of Social Services is involved, the Special Investigator testifies at the DSS

Family Court hearing. In the interim between preliminary hearing and general sessions, the

investigator maintains contact with the child victim and addresses any needs of the victim.

TENNESSEE

Contractual Services for Advocacy for the Mentally Ill Chemical Abuser. In a collaborative

effort the Domestic Violence Division and the Public Defenders office, of Nashville/Davidson
30

County, will create a counseling service for mentally ill chemical abusers and their family

members. Many domestic violence cases arise out of situations where the stress of living with a

loved one who is dually-diagnosed becomes too much to handle. Frequently, the

prosecutors/victims of dual diagnosis crimes are the family members. These families need

assistance in relieving these pressures and bringing balance to their homes. 

VIRGINIA

Training on the Use of Closed-Circuit Television and Videotape Testimony of Child

Witnesses. A multi-disciplinary training conference is scheduled for prosecutors, law

enforcement investigators, child protective service workers, mental health professionals, and

judges. This program is designed to improve the criminal justice system’s response to child

abuse cases; reduce or limit additional trauma to child victims as they encounter the criminal

justice process; improve the use of technology in the taking of out-of-court testimony of

children; and to provide a forum to share information among states. The conference topics

include current research and theory; state statutes; legal requirements; available technology,

operations protocols; forensic interviewing; and a variety of workshops addressing current

concerns surrounding this issue.

WEST VIRGINIA

West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence. The short term goal of this project is to

provide for the training and certification of six regional teams of professionals, representing law

enforcement, prosecution, and victim advocacy, to assure that West Virginia has a pool of

trained professionals available for response to domestic violence cases. The long term goal of

the project is to connect regional law enforcement training teams and regional domestic violence

response teams in on-going efforts to develop a coordinated response to domestic violence. 

Through this program, the curriculum, trainer manual, trainee manual, and teaching resources

used in law enforcement training will be updated. In addition, training will be developed and

presented that will assure participants certification and provide time for regional teams to meet

and develop action plans.

BJA's publication, Domestic and Family Violence: Highlighted Programs from the State

Annual Reports, outlines many of the previously supported formula grant funded family 

violence programs. Publications produced from BJA's Innovative Programs working meetings

are another valuable resource.

IV. Anticipated Plans

In the Spring of 1997, BJA anticipates two reports addressing domestic violence and stalking to

be available. The domestic violence document examines issues of substance abuse and other

factors in the context of domestic violence. The second report, a monograph highlighting multi

disciplinary training, addresses the issue of stalking as it relates to domestic violence. A copy

of both publications will be distributed to all the VAWGO STOP State Administrators.
31

The Bureau of Justice Assistance will have available a publication that discusses the policy and

operational issues surrounding coordinated responses to violence against women issues in the

third quarter of 1997. The implementation manual will be formatted to provide practical and

relevant information to enhance communities’ ability to coordinate their efforts in responding to

violence against women in their local jurisdictions and society at large. This report will be

disseminated to civil and criminal justice practitioners as well as those working in related

services such as social services, mental health, battered women’s shelters, victim advocacy

groups, and batterer and substance abuse treatment. This implementation manual will be

distributed to all VAWGO STOP State Administrators.

 

BJA will partially support a symposium on elder issues with the Massachusetts Attorney

General’s office. The symposium will be organized to develop a national training model and

curriculum directed at education and prevention of elder abuse, neglect, mistreatment and

financial exploitation of residents both in long term care facilities and in their own residence. 

This anticipated replication model will include a video training component as well as training

curricula for health care workers surrounding victimization of the elderly and the criminal

justice system.

To help tribal court judges address violent crime against children, domestic violence, and youth

gang violence in Indian Country, the National Indian Justice Center will develop a training and

technical assistance program tailored to the needs of American Indian communities. The project

will examine the origins, dynamics and scope of violent crime in Indian Country and support

tribal courts as they explore sentencing alternatives and other ways to restore health and safety

to their communities.
33

BUREAU OF JUSTICE STATISTICS

I. Legislative Mandate

The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) collects, analyzes, publishes, and disseminates statistical

information on crime including criminal victimization, criminal offenders, and the operations of

justice systems at all levels of government and internationally. These objective data and

analyses are used by key policy makers at the Federal, State, and local levels in their efforts to

combat drugs and crime. 

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6JGRTQITCOKORNGOGPVUVJGTGSWKTGOGPVUQHVJG$TCF[*CPFIWP8KQNGPEG2TGXGPVKQP#EV

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OCFGCXCKNCDNGVQVJGUVCVGUVQGPUWTGVJCVEQORNGVGCPFCEEWTCVGFCVCQPFQOGUVKEXKQNGPEG

CPFUVCNMKPICTGKFGPVKHKGFCPFKPENWFGFKPNQECNUVCVGCPF(GFGTCNFCVCDCUGU

II. Background

The primary source of information sponsored by BJS on family violence comes from the

National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). This survey, which began in 1973, collects data

on personal and household victimizations through an ongoing national survey of residential

addresses. Specifically, the survey provides measures for the following types of crimes

including attempts: rape, sexual assault, robbery, assault, larceny, burglary, and motor vehicle

theft. Detailed information about each victimization incident and its consequences is recorded

as well as the characteristics of the offender insofar as the victim can report them. Individuals

residing in selected households are interviewed every 6 months for a period of 3 years. Since

individuals are asked about crimes they might have experienced during the previous six months,

the survey is able to include both crimes reported to the police and those that go unreported. 

Domestic violence incidents have traditionally been the most difficult to enumerate and

document. Many factors inhibit women from reporting their victimizations to researchers,

including the private nature of the event, the perceived stigma associated with one's

victimization, the belief that no purpose will be served in reporting it, as well as fear of

retaliation from the offender. Existing attitudes and stereotypes pertaining to family violence

undoubtedly affect the extent to which all surveys, including the NCVS, can accurately quantify

the problem.

After an extensive 10-year redesign project, the NCVS , beginning with a 1992 phase-in process,

utilizes a survey instrument which more directly queries respondents about rape and other acts
34

of violence perpetrated by intimates. The survey also queries respondents much more directly

about their experiences with unwanted sexual contact, including those with intimates such as

husbands, boyfriends, or other family members. Incidents are categorized into the following

very specific types of sexual victimization: Completed Rape, Attempted Rape, Verbal Threat of

Rape, Completed Sexual Attack (Grabbing, Fondling, etc.), Verbal Threat of Sexual Attack, and

Unwanted Sexual Contact. When the survey was initially designed in the early 1970's, social and

cultural constraints precluded this extent of specificity in asking questions about personal

victimization. 

III. Current Programs

The National Crime Victimization Survey

The 1995 NCVS sample consists of approximately 49,000 households and 100,000 persons age

12 or older; the average response rate is about 95%.

The impact of the NCVS survey redesign is dramatically demonstrated in the magnitude of

difference in the number of incidents of completed and attempted rapes in 1991 (173,000)

compared to 1993 (312,580), the first annual estimate after complete implementation of the

survey redesign. In addition, the redesigned survey asks about a category of crimes not

previously measured, i.e., sexual assaults. In 1993, sexual assaults accounted for an additional

172,700 incidents of personal violence. A BJS publication scheduled for release early in 1997

will analyze long term trends and a method for adjusting for the effects of the redesign.

Initial 1992-93 estimates of violence against women from the redesigned NCVS instrument

reveal that out of the nearly 5 million violent victimizations against women which occur

annually, 29% were perpetrated by intimates including, husbands and ex-husbands and

boyfriends and ex-boyfriends. Over three-quarters of all violent incidents against women were

perpetrated by offenders known to the victim. 

Rates of intimate perpetrated violence from the redesigned NCVS were found to be over six

times higher for women than for men. Intimate perpetrated violence affected women of all races

and ethnic backgrounds to about the same extent. 

The NEISS Program

BJS contracted with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to utilize the CPSC's

ongoing National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) to obtain injury data related to

intentional injuries, especially injuries related to violence or abuse within households. From a

national sample, the CPSC collected data for the BJS Intentional Injury Study at 31 hospitals.

Specially trained coders at each hospital examined the record of every patient treated in the

hospital's emergency department for information about the cause of any injury for which the

patient was being treated. For the Intentional Injury Study, the coders used information present

on the record to code whether or not the injury was caused intentionally or whether information
35

on the record was consistent with an intentional injury. For 1994, the study contains information

on almost 12,000 patients with injuries coded as "intentional". Analyses of these data are

scheduled for publication in early 1997. 

National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP)

Under this program, BJS provides funds to assist states in identifying, collecting, classifying,

transferring, and assessing data on persons wanted, arrested, or convicted for domestic violence

offenses, stalking, or those persons subject to civil restraining orders.

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URGEKHKECNN[KPEQTRQTCVGFOKNNKQPCRRTQRTKCVGFVQ$,5WPFGTVJG8KQNGPEG#ICKPUV9QOGP

#EV+PCFFKVKQPEQPUKUVGPVYKVJ1,2RQNKE[KPVGTGUVGFUVCVGUYGTGRGTOKVVGFVQOCMGGCTN[

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HTQOVJKUCRRTQRTKCVKQPCURCTVQHVJGKTTGIWNCT(;0%*+2CRRNKECVKQP

As states improve their capacities to identify, flag, enumerate, and describe criminal incidents

which occur within a family or domestic context, state-level estimates will improve in validity,

reliability, and comparability. $,5JCUGPEQWTCIGFUVCVGUVQWPFGTVCMGOQTGGZRCPUKXGGHHQTVU

TGNCVKPIVQFQOGUVKEXKQNGPEGWPFGTVJG0%*+2RTQITCOD[UWIIGUVKPIVJCVUVCVGUOC[YKUJVQ

EQODKPGDQVJDCUKE0%*+2CPF8#9#HWPFUHQTVJGUGRWTRQUGU

Family Violence Caseload Tracking Project

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GZRCPFGFVQKPEQTRQTCVGUVCVGUVCVKUVKECNCIGPEKGUKPQTFGTVQGPUWTGEQQTFKPCVGFKPRWVQPVJG

KUUWG

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TGSWKTGOGPVUKORQUGFQPEQWTVUWPFGTTGEGPVFQOGUVKEXKQNGPEGCPFUGZWCNQHHGPFGTTGIKUVT[

NGIKUNCVKQP6JKUGHHQTVOC[CNUQKPENWFGCPCPCN[UKUQHFCVCGNGOGPVFGHKPKVKQPUCPFRTQEGFWTGU

HQTKFGPVKH[KPICPFCEEGUUKPIUWEJKPHQTOCVKQPQPCTGCNVKOGDCUKU

IV. Anticipated Plans
36

Using NCSC’s court data collection prototype as a product for initial discussion, BJS will fund a

national project to broaden the consensus of common definition standards for domestic violence

to include a wider range of state level criminal justice system entities as well as domestic

violence advocacy groups. This project will include state-level consensus building activities and

will culminate in a national conference.

The FY 1997 Omnibus Appropriations Act provides additional funding for BJS to extend the

stalking and domestic violence component of the NCHIP program.

Also, BJS plans to sponsor a working conference for representatives from state criminal history

repositories and policy makers to assist states in their efforts to comply with the recently passed

sex offender registry legislation.

Two reports to be published in the first quarter of 1997 will analyze 1994 and 1995 data from

the NCVS with respect to female victims of violent crimes. Essentially, the first will update the

prior BJS report $Violence against Women: Estimates from the Redesigned Survey# (August

1995) with 1994 survey data. The second and more comprehensive report will include 1995

data and will focus on a targeted aspect of victimization disproportionately affecting women. 
37

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF JUSTICE

I. Legislative Mandate

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is the research and development agency of the United

States Department of Justice. NIJ was established to prevent and reduce crime and to improve

the criminal justice system. Specific mandates established by Congress in the Omnibus Crime

Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, as amended, and the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 direct

the National Institute of Justice to:

 Sponsor special projects, and research and development programs that will improve 

and strengthen the criminal justice system and reduce or prevent crime;

 Conduct national demonstration projects that employ innovative or promising 

approaches for improving criminal justice;

 

 Develop new technologies to fight crime and improve criminal justice;

 Evaluate the effectiveness of criminal justice programs and identify programs that 

promise to be successful if continued or repeated;

 Recommend actions that can be taken by Federal, State, and local governments, as 

well as private organizations, to improve criminal justice;

 Carry out research on criminal behavior; and

 Develop new methods to prevent and reduce crime and delinquency.

II. Background

The justice system mandate cited above concerns both serious crime committed by strangers as

well as violence within the family and among other intimates. The National Institute of Justice

has conducted research on child abuse and spouse assault for many years. In recent years,

family violence research and evaluation addressing primarily justice system concerns have been

established as a major program area at NIJ.

NIJ’s research program includes the sponsorship and co-sponsorship of applied and basic

research, as well as occasional intramural projects. The results of these projects have increased

our understanding of crime and criminal justice issues and have informed policy and practice

through a variety of useful publications. The more recent publications are cited under the

publications section of this report. 

Experimental research on spouse assault has primarily addressed the police response to the
38

problem. An initial experiment in Minneapolis found positive effects of arrest in decreasing

repeat offenses, while published results from the individual spouse assault replications and

extensions are incomplete and inconsistent. One interpretation of these data suggests that being

employed or married is a key factor in determining the positive effects of arrest for spouse

assault. Where consistent analysis across all sites is possible, researchers report a consistent and

positive, but marginal, effect for arrest. More recent research on spouse and partner assault has

gone beyond this initial focus on the police response and has taken a more systemic view.

Past NIJ sponsored projects on child abuse have addressed a variety of topics including: the

impact of the juvenile and criminal court process on the child; police investigations of child

abuse; the impact of child abuse and neglect on later delinquency and adult criminality;

improvements in interviewing techniques with children; trial considerations in the prosecution

of child abuse; and an examination of the penalties imposed for sexual abuse when the victim is

a child compared to when the victim is an adult. In addition to the publications resulting from

these research projects, many informative presentations on the project findings have been made

at various professional meetings and conferences.

Other past projects have addressed topics such as: the impacts of arrest on the social control of

violence among intimates; evaluations of the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act and

the Virginia Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Program; and an examination of how

the nation's probation and parole agencies are responding to the increased demand for

supervision and management of sex offenders. Data collected from these and other projects will

serve as a valuable source of new information for policymakers and practitioners.

III. Current Program

NIJ’s current program includes a host of recently completed research and evaluation studies and

many ongoing and newly funded projects. The mechanisms used to support these projects

include the use of NIJ base appropriations, both with and without co-sponsorship, and the use of

funds from Crime Act offices, particularly the Violence Against Women Grants Office

(VAWGO), for evaluation and related research. In addition, in FY96 NIJ joined eight other

federal institutes, offices, and centers in sponsoring a three year research program on violence

against women and within the family. The results of all of these various funding approaches

comprise NIJ’s current program on family violence and violence against women and are

summarized below.

Research on family and intimate violence has been a multi-million dollar thrust and includes

more than thirty projects. The Violence Against Women Act and NIJ activities with other

agencies have added new responsibilities and promise to NIJ's program in this area. In addition,

a portion of several major NIJ contracts, such as the National Criminal Justice Reference

Service, are responsive to numerous requests for family violence information. A Partnerships

Against Violence Network (PAVNET) provides an online search and retrieval system that lists

promising programs, information sources, and technical assistance and funding sources from

various federal agencies. Family violence programs are included in PAVNET. 
39

One major project that addresses family violence interventions is being supported by NIJ,

various HHS agencies, and the Carnegie Corporation of New York. This comprehensive effort

involves a multi disciplinary panel of experts convened by the National Research Council of the

National Academy of Sciences. The study committee is in the process of synthesizing the

relevant research literature on family violence and will produce a report by the Fall of 1997.

Another synthesis of issues and practices in the batterer treatment field is being completed with

a report expected by the Summer of 1997.

Projects in progress are addressing many issues, including research on both the victims and the

perpetrators of domestic violence; childhood victimization, including child maltreatment; the

needs of children of battered women; and the handling of cases involving both custody disputes

and domestic violence. A current Visiting Fellow at NIJ, James Collins, is conducting research

on the linkage of domestic violence and substance abuse services. 

Numerous projects have recently concluded and various types of NIJ, academic, and practitioner

journal publications have been issued or are in progress. NIJ publishes a Research Preview or a

Research in Brief of the results of most projects. These are available through the National

Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) at (800) 851-3420. Full reports from projects can

also be provided by NCJRS via inter-library loan or at cost of copying. Selected results from

some recently completed projects are highlighted below.

 A conservative estimate is that from 40 to 50 percent of defendants or respondents in

domestic violence cases used alcohol or other drugs of abuse at or near the time of the

incident (Goldkamp, Dade County’s Domestic Violence Court Experiment, Grant # 93-IJCX-0028).

 A majority of defendants and respondents had prior histories of arrest: 59 percent of civil

injunction respondents; 65 percent of misdemeanor defendants; and 69 percent of felony

defendants (Goldkamp, Dade County’s Domestic Violence Court Experiment, Grant # 93-IJCX-0028).

 Domestic violence is a common factor in divorce mediation programs, but varies greatly

from case to case. Some mediation programs estimate that it occurs in almost 80% of cases;

none of the programs put the incidence at less than 50% (Pearson, Divorce Mediation and

Domestic Violence, Grant # 93-IJ-CX-0036).

 Most mediation programs have changed their procedures to enhance the safety of victims

during and after mediation (Pearson, Divorce Mediation and Domestic Violence, Grant # 93-

IJ-CX-0036). 

 While victims whose partners have a history of violent crime are more likely than other

victims to be re-victimized after receiving protection orders, they are also more likely than
40

other victims with protection orders to believe that the orders have improved their wellbeing in terms of feelings of security and self-esteem (Keilitz, The Effectiveness of Civil

Protection Orders, Grant # 93-IJ-CX-0035).

 A survey of prosecutors’ offices representing medium to large jurisdictions demonstrates a

growing commitment of district attorneys to vigorously prosecute domestic violence. Twothirds of the prosecutors’ offices report having no-drop policies, although there is usually

some flexibility in these policies (Rebovich, Prosecution of Domestic Violence Offenses,

Grant # 93-IJ-CX-0039).

 Slightly over two-thirds of prosecutors in jurisdictions between 250,000 and 500,000 notify

the victim of the defendant’s release, while only half in jurisdictions over 500,000 do so

(Rebovich, Prosecution of Domestic Violence Offenses, Grant # 93-IJ-CX-0039).

 In a recent national survey, fifteen percent of the women surveyed were raped at least once

in their lifetime; eight percent were stalked; forty percent were physically abused as a child

by a caretaker; and thirty-one percent were physically assaulted as an adult by another adult

(Tjaden, Violence and Threats of Violence Against Women in America Survey, Grant # 93-

IJ-CX-0012). 

The Violence Against Women Act: Research and Evaluation

NIJ has had responsibility for the conduct of various studies required under the VAWA and for

the development and management of an evaluation and research program supported by the

VAWGO. The NIJ studies were completed and the reports were forwarded to Congress in 1996. 

These reports include:

 Understanding Violence Against Women, a report conducted by a panel convened by the

National Academy of Sciences to develop a research agenda on the understanding and

control of violence against women.

 Domestic and Sexual Violence Data Collection, a publication that combines NIJ’s report on

State level data and the BJS report on Federal level data on these crimes.

 Domestic Violence, Stalking, and Anti-Stalking Legislation, a report addressing the

incidence of stalking and domestic violence, and antistalking efforts and legislation.

 Public Access to Information Concerning Whereabouts of Domestic Violence Victims, a

report that illustrates the danger of non-confidentiality of personal information of victims of

domestic violence and makes several recommendations for the management of such

information.

 The Validity and Use of Evidence Concerning Battering and Its Effects in Criminal Trials. 

This report is comprised of three separate reports: one on the validity of battered women
41

syndrome in criminal cases; the second provides a trend analysis of cases involving expert

testimony on battering and its effects; and the third addresses the impact of evidence

concerning battering and its effects in criminal trials.

In addition to NIJ’s responsibility for these Congressionally required studies, NIJ has been

working closely with the Violence Against Women Grants Office (VAWGO) to provide an

independent evaluation and research component to the overall mission of this program office. In

Fiscal Year 1997 this program is entering its third year. The initial two years of the projected

six year program witnessed the development of a comprehensive national evaluation of the

Violence Against Women STOP Grant Program. This ongoing effort involves 1) documenting

the range of activities and programs supported by the grants, 2) assessing the outcomes and

accomplishments of grantees, 3) examining grantee planning and implementation efforts, 4)

developing a strategy for documenting long-term impacts in coordination with evaluation grants

that are focussed on the VAWA Chapter Two purpose areas, and 5) writing annual reports as the

basis for reports to Congress. The initial years of this national evaluation are based on the

analysis of grantee plans and reports, telephone interviews and site visits. 

This national evaluation is complemented by other research and evaluation projects aimed at

providing results to further the purposes of the VAWA. These related research and evaluation

efforts will offer new ideas and information to better address violence against women at the state

and local levels. Some of these projects will conclude in 1997 while several others only began at

the close of 1996. Included among these projects are a focus on models of community

coordination in response to partner violence; an exploration of the experiences and needs of

former intimate stalking victims; an evaluation of the coordinated response to domestic violence

in Alexandria, Virginia; a study of domestic violence prosecution strategies in Iowa; a national

survey on the extent and nature of sexual victimization of college women; a study in Broward

County, Florida, of court mandated counseling for domestic violence offenders; a study of

alcohol problems and violence against women; a study of judicial and prosecutorial decision

making in domestic violence cases and factors that influence victim/witness reluctance in these

cases; and a follow-up study on improving domestic violence and sexual assault data systems in

the states.

Several other NIJ projects that address domestic violence are supported through another Crime

Act office, the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS). These include various

police domestic violence intervention studies in Portland, Oregon; Seattle, 

Washington; and Berkeley, California. COPS support for NIJ research is also addressing the

effectiveness of a joint police and social service response to elder abuse in New York City.

Interagency Consortium for Research on 

Violence Against Women and Violence within the Family

In January of 1996, NIJ and eight other federal offices announced a special Request for

Applications (RFA) focusing on $Research on Violence Against Women and Violence within the
42

Family.# The RFA, released by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), especially encouraged

research on the abuse of children and elderly, partner violence, sexual violence, and perpetrators

and victims of multiple episodes of family violence. This program was coordinated by the Office

of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research and included cosponsorship by the NIH Office of

Research on Women's Health, the NIH Office of Research on Minority Health, the National

Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the

National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute on Aging, the National Institute of

Justice, the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, and the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention. The RFA represents the first interdepartmental and trans-NIH research funding

program on violence. It was intended to bring together perspectives of the participating agencies,

encompassing criminal justice, mental health, public health and prevention, alcohol and drug

abuse, and child development perspectives, for the purpose of advancing our knowledge of family

violence and violence against women.

The sponsoring organizations provided over $5 million to fund a total of ten three-year grants to

conduct research on the causes, course, treatment, management, and prevention of family violence

and violence against women, as well as on the health and legal consequences of this violence for

victims. This interagency effort produced a synergy, attracting new and important applications

that combined at-risk populations, outcomes, programs, and researchers in a way never seen in a

single-organization solicitation. Two other applications submitted under the RFA are planned for

support directly by NIH Institutes in FY 97. The National Institute of Justice will coordinate the

activities of this program by hosting annual grantee meetings over the three year period. 

The following lists the titles of the grants funded from the RFA pool: 

"Children of Battered Women: Reducing Risk for Abuse."

"Protection of Women: Health and Justice Outcomes."

"Domestic Abuse Among Latinos: Description and Intervention."

"Maltreated Children's Emotions and Self-Cognition."

"Understanding Partner Violence in Native American Women."

"Intervention for Abuse of Aging Caregivers."

"Risk Factors for Homicide in Violent Intimate Relationships."

"The Effects of Community Violence on Women and Children."

$Prevention of Post-Rape Psychopathology in Women.#

$Treatment of Violent Adolescent Males from Abusive Homes.#

IV. Anticipated Plans

Family violence and violence against women will continue to be a major focus of the NIJ

research program. In the years ahead NIJ will continue to solicit research, evaluation, and

demonstration on child abuse; violence against women, including domestic violence, sexual

assault and stalking; and elder abuse. 

With the 1994 Violence Against Women Act, NIJ has a particular focus on evaluative research
43

in this area, and the portfolio will continue to stress program evaluation and research that is

consistent with the purposes of the Act. This program responds to both the Congressional and

public demand for accountability and the need to develop a knowledge base that examines

policy and programmatic experiences and continually recommends improvements to them. It is

anticipated that the evaluation and research program accompanying the Violence Against

Women Act Chapter 2 efforts will continue to provide answers to significant questions, and

ultimately address the question of the impact of the six year, $800 million dollar program.

The Violence Against Women research agenda required by the VAWA and developed by the

National Research Council provides a blueprint for future research and evaluation in this field. 

A request for new funding in the 1998 Fiscal Year budget to implement work on this agenda was

developed jointly with the Centers for Disease Control and NIJ. In addition, the comprehensive

work by the National Research Council on Family Violence Interventions discussed earlier is

due for completion by the Fall of 1997. It will be a useful resource to both practitioners and

researchers.

The various family violence studies that have recently concluded will result in publications that

offer insights and recommendations for improvements in the criminal justice system response to

family and intimate violence. Over the next year, the Institute will continue to develop new

partnerships, as well as continue current ones, with bureaus in the Department of Justice, other

federal agencies, and private foundations, in order to effectively address the multidimensional

problem of family and intimate violence.
45

OFFICE OF JUVENILE JUSTICE 

AND DELINQUENCY PREVENTION

I. Legislative Mandate

The mission of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) is to provide

national leadership, direction, coordination, and resources to prevent, treat, and control juvenile

delinquency; improve the effectiveness and fairness of the juvenile justice system; and address

the problem of missing and exploited children. In fulfilling this mission, OJJDP contributes to

developing the full potential of America's most valuable resource - its youth. 

In 1974, Congress enacted the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Act (Public

Law 93-415, 42 U.S.C. 5601 et seq.). This landmark legislation established OJJDP to provide

Federal leadership and support to State and local governments in their efforts to prevent

delinquency and improve the juvenile justice system. The Act requires OJJDP to address

juvenile justice issues in a comprehensive, coordinated manner and to support research, training,

and program initiatives that respond to a broad spectrum of juvenile justice issues. Specifically,

Section 261(a)(4) and (5) of the JJDP Act of 1974, as amended, states OJJDP's primary program

authority regarding families as "establishing or supporting programs (including self-help

programs for parents) stressing advocacy activities aimed at improving services to juveniles

affected by the juvenile justice system, including services that provide for the appointment of

special advocates by courts for such juveniles, including programs that work with families

during the incarceration of juvenile family members and which take into consideration the

special needs of families with limited-English speaking ability; and developing or supporting

model programs to strengthen and maintain the family unit in order to prevent or treat juvenile

delinquency." 

Additionally, Congress enacted the Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990, Public Law 101-647, as

amended by P. L. 102-586 (1992). This Act authorizes the Office of Juvenile Justice and

Delinquency Prevention to promote the development of local children’s advocacy centers and

establish regional children’s advocacy centers to support local programs; strengthen court

appointed special advocates programs; and improve the prosecution and court management of

child abuse and neglect cases.

OJJDP carries out its policies, programs, and goals through the coordinated activities of seven

organizational components: 1) Research and Program Development Division, 2) Training and

Technical Assistance Division, 3) Special Emphasis Division, 4) State Relations and Assistance

Division, 5) Information Dissemination and Planning Unit, 6) Concentration of Federal Efforts

Program, and 7) Missing and Exploited Children's Program. The 1992 reauthorization of the

JJDP Act authorized OJJDP to support a number of new priority program areas, including: hate

crime education, gender bias and gender-specific services, mentoring, boot camps, due process 
46

and right to counsel, services to juveniles in secure custody, graduated sanctions, and family

involvement in the treatment of delinquents. 

The reauthorizations of the JJDP Act have focused OJJDP’s attention and activities on family

violence and other pressing juvenile justice issues of the day. Through a variety of initiatives,

OJJDP continues to address important juvenile justice issues related to family violence.

II. Background

Prevention, intervention, treatment, and the study of family violence are common threads

through many OJJDP endeavors, even though previous programs or research projects have not

focused solely on "family violence" or utilized it as a main theme. 

The Missing and Exploited Children's Program has addressed family violence issues while

meeting its responsibility to coordinate activities pertaining to missing and exploited children--

preventing abductions, investigating cases, locating missing and exploited children and reuniting

them with their families, providing treatment, and prosecuting abductors. Since 1984, OJJDP

has been the principal funding source for the National Center for Missing and Exploited

Children (NCMEC), a private nonprofit organization spearheading national efforts to locate and

recover missing children and raise public awareness about the prevention of child abduction,

molestation, and sexual exploitation. The OJJDP/NCMEC partnership coordinates the efforts of

law enforcement agencies, social service providers, elected officials, judges, prosecutors,

educators, and public and private organizations to address these crimes against children.

Several OJJDP studies have touched on family violence issues. Among them are "Families of

Missing Children, Final Report" prepared by the Center for the Study of Trauma, University of

California, San Francisco (1992), "Child Victim as Witness Research and Development

Program: Final Report," prepared by D. Whitcomb, et al (1986); and "Strengthening America's

Families: Promising Parenting Strategies for Delinquency Prevention, User's Guide," prepared by

the University of Utah and the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (1992).

OJJDP's Program of Research on the Causes and Correlates of Delinquency has clarified the

relationship between the family and involvement in juvenile delinquency. Low family

socioeconomic status has been found to be associated with chronic delinquency. In addition,

low family socioeconomic status is correlated with other risk factors to delinquency, including

large family size, perinatal complications, parental mental illness, and low levels of parent

education. Research has shown that poor family attachment is directly related to both

delinquency and drug use. Poor parenting behavior (failure to communicate with and monitor

children) and parental conflicts (inconsistency of punishment and avoidance of discipline) are

also related to subsequent delinquency.

These OJJDP studies have shed new light on the relationship between domestic violence and 
47

subsequent violent behavior by children in violent families. For example, research conducted at

the State University of New York at Albany shows that:

 Abused children are more likely to commit violent offenses as they grow older than

are children not abused in the home;

 The percentage of children committing violent offenses increases more than 20%

when they are exposed to one form of family violence (domestic violence, family

climate of hostility, or child maltreatment); and

 Adolescents from multiple violent families are twice as likely to be violent as those

from nonviolent families.

OJJDP has developed a “Comprehensive Strategy for Serious, Violent, and Chronic Juvenile

Offenders” (1993) that calls for early intervention in troubled families that are at risk of

producing such juvenile offenders. Program development work has identified effective

prevention, intervention, and treatment programs from prenatal care to after care. OJJDP’s

Guide for Implementing the Comprehensive Strategy for Serious, Violent and Chronic Juvenile

Offenders (1995) contains an inventory of promising and successful program models and

techniques to assist interested jurisdictions in implementing their local prevention, early

intervention and graduated sanction programs. 

OJJDP has provided support to the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges to

develop model practices for juvenile and family courts in handling domestic violence cases. 

Improved coordination among social services, child care agencies, and the courts is expected to

result from adoption of these practices.

OJJDP has also helped practitioners examine the interrelationship between family violence and

child abuse and develop strategies and practices to improve family outcomes. This has been

accomplished primarily through efforts of the National Network of Children’s Advocacy Centers

with support from the Office for Victims of Crime.

III. Current Programs

Children’s Advocacy Center Program. Since 1994, OJJDP has supported the nationwide

development and improvement of local children’s advocacy centers (CACs). Children’s

advocacy centers are child-focused, facility-based programs that use multi disciplinary teams to

coordinate the judicial and social service systems' response to victims of child abuse. The teams

work to prevent revictimization of abused children. Typically, they conduct joint interviews and

make team decisions about management of these cases and provision of services to child victims

and their families.
48

Under the Victims of Child Abuse Act authorization, the Fiscal Year 1996 Appropriations Act

provided $2 million to support local children’s advocacy centers (the funding of which was

administered by the National Network of Children’s Advocacy Centers) and $500,000 to

continue support of four regional children’s advocacy centers (RCACs) established in 1995. 

Another $500,000 was allocated to support efforts of the National Network of Children's

Advocacy Centers to promote national standards and effective practices through training and

technical assistance to local communities. 

The CAC grantees have developed valuable resource materials for the field that address the

skills and organizational development needed to improve the prosecution, investigation and

treatment of child abuse and neglect. This includes understanding the interrelationship of family

violence with child abuse and neglect. The materials include an organizational development

manual, two videos on CACs and the CAC team, a four-step methodology to help communities

assess and plan multi disciplinary programs, and forensic interviewing manuals.

Under the leadership of OJJDP, the CAC grantees have also begun to establish and develop

linkages with allied organizations and grantees to improve services to the field. These linkages

include the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, the National Center for the

Prosecution of Child Abuse, Fox Valley Technical College, and M/CAP.

With supplemental funding from the Office for Victims of Crime, the CAC grantees have begun

to enhance core activities through a number of projects. These include: assisting a Native

American tribal community to establish a pilot children’s advocacy center, developing a video

illustrating properly conducted forensic medical examinations, establishing formal mentoring

programs to facilitate CAC replication, and continuing to forge more effective relationships

between family violence and children’s advocacy center practitioners.

The Parent Project: The Parents Anonymous (PA) Replication Network. As noted, research

has shown that child abuse can significantly contribute to acts of aggression and delinquent

behavior by some children. Conversely, adolescents who exhibit antisocial behavior may

become targets of abuse by their parents. Recognizing the link between child abuse and juvenile

delinquency, OJJDP began providing grant support to Parents Anonymous, Inc. in FY1994. The

purpose was to enhance the capability of PA’s state and local organizations to prevent child

maltreatment and juvenile delinquency by strengthening families through unique, self-help

programming with a special focus on expanding services to families of color living in lowincome, high crime areas. This national initiative is being implemented in 11 states by PA

organizations dedicated to serving a range of cultural groups, including Native American,

African-American, Asian, Latino, and Appalachian families. 

PA is completing development of “best practices” materials that identify successful elements

and strategies for program development and implementation, as reported by those who

established and are implementing the programs initiated under this initiative. PA is also giving

special attention to developing successful linkages to the juvenile justice system and to meeting
49

the needs of minority families in both urban and rural communities, including those who are

non-English speaking.

 

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA). In FY96, OJJDP provided $6 million to the

National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association for training and technical assistance to

local CASA programs and subgrants to communities to assist in the development and

strengthening of CASA programs. CASA programs train volunteers (known as CASAs) who

supplement and assist overburdened court officials and social workers. Generally handling one

or two cases at a time, they perform court-supervised fact-finding in cases where there are

charges of child abuse and neglect in dependency proceedings. CASAs also make permanent

placement recommendations to the court.

Improving the Juvenile and Family Courts' Handling of Child Abuse and Neglect Cases: A

Model Training and Technical Assistance Program. The purpose of this grant to the National

Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) is to use the successful dependency

court demonstration project in Cincinnati, Ohio as the basis for administrative reform of juvenile

and family courts across the nation. The NCJFCJ is currently assisting nine additional courts to

implement this demonstration program. The model streamlines the juvenile and family court’s

handling of child abuse and neglect cases through front-loading (bringing together at the initial

hearing all the parties to the matter), assignment of one hearing officer for the life of a case, and

instituting case tracking systems to help courts make speedy but well informed decisions about

placement. The goal is to ensure that children do not languish unnecessarily in temporary foster

care. Other NCJFCJ activities are designed to assist State courts in the provision of training and

technical assistance for judicial personnel, attorneys, and other key juvenile and family court

staff and to improve procedures for determining whether child service agencies have made

"reasonable efforts" to prevent out of home placement.

Child Abuse and Exploitation Investigative Techniques Training Program. Since 1982,

OJJDP has offered a five-day training for thousands of national, State and local law enforcement

officers in the investigation of child abuse and exploitation that includes a segment providing

technical assistance on the investigation of specific cases of child abuse. An advanced course on

investigative techniques and resources for missing and exploited child cases is now being

offered to those who have completed the basic course. Training is provided at the request of

individual police departments. The programs utilize experienced law enforcement and child

abuse investigators as trainers. These trainings are delivered through a contract with Fox Valley

Technical College in Appleton, Wisconsin. 

Child Abuse Prosecution Training and Technical Assistance. An OJJDP grant supports the

American Prosecutors Research Institute’s National Center for the Prosecution of Child Abuse. 

The Center works to improve the quality of child abuse prosecution by providing training,

technical assistance and resource materials to elected and appointed prosecutors at the local,

State, and Federal levels. Workshops, conferences, and informational materials provided by the 
50

Center also benefit law enforcement, social workers, therapists, and other personnel handling

child abuse cases.

Child Abuse and Exploitation Team Investigative Program. CAE-TIP is an intensive "team"

training program designed for four-member local teams. Participants represent law

enforcement, prosecution, social services, and medical personnel (optional). The focus of the

program is the development of an interagency process and protocols for the enhanced

enforcement, prevention, and intervention of child abuse cases. Hands-on, team activity

involving investigations, case preparation and prosecution form the basis of this fast-paced

offering. Teams are assisted in the development of their own interagency implementation plan

for the improved management and investigation of these important and sensitive cases. 

Responding to Missing and Abducted Children. The purpose of this 4 1/2 day training is to

provide law enforcement and other professionals with the information necessary to properly

understand, recognize, investigate, and resolve missing and abducted children’s cases. Topics

covered include: investigation of non-family abductions, family abductions, investigation of

runaway/thrownaway children, victim impact, reunification/recovery, media, case management,

and case enhancement resources. 

Child Sexual Exploitation Investigations. This course, also four 1⁄2 days, is designed to provide

law enforcement professionals with the information necessary to properly understand, recognize,

investigate, and resolve cases of child sexual exploitation. In this class, participants learn to

understand the behavior of the child predator, obtain an understanding of how a child predator

solicits and accomplishes his/her sexual satisfaction, and gain expertise in how to obtain and

execute search warrants. Topics covered include computer child exploitation, missing children,

child prostitution, interviewing the victim, suspect interrogation, prosecution, Federal agencies’

roles and resources, Federal statutes, case enhancement/victim services, and managing the child

exploitation problem. 

Model Treatment and Service Approaches for Mental Health Professionals Working with

Families of Missing Children. A grant to the Western Center for Child Protection is designed

to provide mental health personnel with information on effective treatment approaches for

rehabilitating families traumatized by child abduction and faced with reestablishing a state of

normalcy in its aftermath.

Investigation and Prosecution of Parental Abduction Cases. A grant to the American

Prosecutors Research Institute (APRI) assists local prosecutors in bringing more informed and

more effective prosecution of non-custodial parents who abduct their children. APRI identifies

the legal and social issues in these cases, analyzes and summarizes existing research in this area,

identifies experts who handle these cases, and produces and disseminates legal analysis and

guidelines for local prosecutors and law enforcement agencies concerning such cases.
51

National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway and Throwaway Children

(NISMART II). In the 1984 Missing Children’s Assistance Act, OJJDP was authorized to

conduct periodic studies of the number of children abducted in a given year and the number who

have been recovered. In 1995, a cooperative agreement was awarded to Temple University’s

Institute for Survey Research to design and conduct the second such study of missing, abducted,

runaway and thrownaway children in America. The second study will build upon the first

NISMART study by: improving the definitions for counting incidents; interviewing a larger

national sample of parents or primary care givers and children about their experiences; sampling

police records from a larger number of agencies; and studying a more representative sample of

residential facilities from which youth may run away. The project will complete the design and

pretest work in 1997 and begin interviews in January of 1998. Results from the studies are

anticipated to be released early in 1999. 

Remember, They're Children: Using Video to Train Law Enforcement. A grant was

awarded to the University of Southern Maine for a project to minimize the negative impact of

law enforcement investigative procedures on maltreated children. This was accomplished by

developing and disseminating to law enforcement personnel a comprehensive video training

curriculum designed to improve investigative responses to child victims of maltreatment. The

National Child Welfare Resource Center is providing small- and medium-sized police

departments with the resources to train and support their staff on how to conduct effective, but

non-traumatizing, child abuse investigations.

Missing and Exploited Children Comprehensive Action Program (MCAP). MCAP is a

multi-agency juvenile services coordination community action program that was administered by

Public Administration Services. OJJDP is now offering MCAP as a training and technical

assistance project through Fox Valley Technical College. The program provides directed and

supportive training and technical assistance to encourage, guide, and focus community

development and planning on important missing and exploited children’s issues. The resulting

program development provides sound programmatic, policy, and procedural approaches. It also

encourages multi-agency community planning and delivery of services to focus more

cooperatively and responsively on recognized missing and exploited children problems and

services.

Strengthening America’s Families. In 1996, OJJDP established a three-year grant project to

expand efforts to assist communities in strengthening family programs. The University of

Utah’s Health and Education Department was awarded a cooperative agreement to implement a

training and technical assistance model designed to identify and disseminate information about

exemplary and promising family strengthening programs. Under the project, a national

conference was held in Salt Lake City, Utah. Individual workshops were offered on the most

effective programs to guide practitioners and administrators in enhancing, establishing, or

adapting model programs in their communities. The project’s efforts will be continued in 1997

and 1998 through tailored training and support to individual communities. 
52

Study of Child Abuse Offenders. Under the National Child Protection Act of 1993, Section

2(f), the Administrator of OJJDP is tasked to study and report on child abuse offenders. The

report, based on the Bureau of Justice Statistics' (BJS) Survey of Inmates in State Correctional

Facilities, 1991, has been completed. It reflects what is known about the most serious and

dangerous child abusers in the nation and details current projects and ongoing research that

OJJDP and BJS have funded in this subject area. The report was submitted to Congress in

March 1996.

Incentive Grants for Local Delinquency Prevention Programs. The 1992 amendment to the

JJDP Act established OJJDP’s Title V. The Community Prevention Grants Program provides

funds to States for sub-grants to communities to support the implementation of local prevention

plans focused on at-risk children, teenagers, and their families. Some of the risk factors for

delinquency addressed by Title V include: family history of high-risk behavior, family

management problems, family conflict, inconsistent discipline, and a lack of parental

involvement.

IV. Anticipated Plans

OJJDP is committed to designing programs to help parents, communities, and practitioners

address the problems of juvenile crime and stem the wave of violence that is plaguing our

nation. As a major component of this effort, OJJDP developed "A Comprehensive Strategy for

Serious, Violent, and Chronic Juvenile Offenders." OJJDP has used this strategy as the basis for

a five-year program entitled "SafeFutures: Partnerships to Reduce Youth Violence and

Delinquency." Through a range of SafeFutures program components including family

strengthening, mentoring, day treatment, graduated sanctions, and aftercare, OJJDP is providing

each of six SafeFutures sites with funding and a comprehensive technical assistance package. 

With these resources, the sites are focusing program efforts in targeted neighborhoods to: 1)

prevent youth violence and delinquency by reducing risk factors and increasing protective

factors; 2) develop a continuum of care for juveniles consisting of both institutional and systems

change and a focused effort on the most at-risk youth and families in the jurisdiction; 3) build

the capacity to institutionalize and sustain coordinated efforts; and 4) measure outcomes. 

Because dysfunctional or violent families are a significant risk factor for delinquency and related

negative behaviors, these family-related issues are a key component of the SafeFutures Program. 

A major new Fiscal Year 1996 Program is Safe Kids, Safe Streets: Community Approaches to

Combating Child Abuse and Neglect. This program, based on input from practitioners,

researchers and policy makers, is designed to reduce juvenile delinquency by helping break the

cycle of child and adolescent abuse and neglect, thereby substantially reducing child

maltreatment and fatalities and improving outcomes for children and families. Funded jointly

by three agencies of the Office of Justice Programs (OJP)--OJJDP, the Executive Office for

Weed and Seed, and the Violence Against Women’s Grants Office--this solicitation invited

proposals to improve community response to abuse and neglect of children and adolescents. 
53

Additional support is being provided by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Bureau of Justice

Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, and the Office for Victims of Crime.

Three to six cooperative agreements will be awarded early in 1997 ranging from $425,000 to

$925,000 each for the initial 18-month budget period of a 66-month project period. The goals of

the program are to: (1) encourage localities to restructure and strengthen the criminal and

juvenile justice systems to be more comprehensive and proactive in helping children and

adolescents and their families who have been or are at risk of being abused and neglected; (2)

implement or strengthen coordinated management of abuse and neglect cases by improving

policy and practice of the criminal and juvenile justice systems and the child welfare, family

services, and related systems; and (3) develop comprehensive community wide, cross-agency

strategies to reduce child and adolescent abuse and neglect and resulting child fatalities. 

Communities are encouraged to coordinate family violence and child abuse and neglect

intervention and prevention work.
55

OFFICE FOR VICTIMS OF CRIME

I. Legislative Mandate

The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) was established in 1984 as a result of the Victims of

Crime Act (VOCA). OVC is responsible for administering and managing deposits into the

Crime Victims Fund. Furthermore, OVC makes grants available for training and technical

assistance to eligible crime victims compensation programs, including programs compensating

victims of domestic violence, and crime victims assistance programs, with priority given to those

programs that provide assistance to victims of sexual assault, spousal abuse, or child abuse.

II. Background

The 1988 amendment to VOCA mandates that State compensation programs extend benefits to

victims of domestic violence as a condition of continued eligibility for Federal funding. Prior to

these amendments, victims of domestic violence were often denied compensation benefits solely

based on their relationship to the offender. Since these mandates, over half of all VOCA victims

assistance grant funds are awarded to public and private nonprofit organizations providing

services to victims of domestic violence, including victims of child abuse.

VOCA requires priority consideration for awarding state formula victim assistance funding to

programs serving victims of sexual assault, spousal abuse, and child abuse. Furthermore, OVC

has awarded discretionary grants to crime victims assistance programs for technical assistance

services and training for criminal justice system professionals and victim service providers.

The Victims of Crime Act also requires OVC to review Federal law enforcement compliance

with Federal victim assistance statutes and, to strengthen and expand services for Federal crime

victims. The Victims of Child Abuse Act (passed as part of the 1990 Crime Control Act)

emphasizes children’s rights and requires the Federal justice system to adapt procedures to the

needs and abilities of child victims and witnesses. Examples of requirements in that Act

include: speedy trials; alternatives to live, in-court testimony; appointment of a guardian ad litem

or adult attendant; and a multi disciplinary approach to reduce the number of child interviews.

III. Current Programs

 Discretionary Grant Programs

DISCRETIONARY PROGRAMS IN INDIAN COUNTRY

Under the discretionary grant programs OVC funds, there are a number of programs which are

targeted for Indian Nations. Grants under these programs are awarded directly to the tribes and

are focused on various family violence issues. 
56

Children’s Justice Act Discretionary Grant Program for Native Americans (CJA). Initiated 

in 1990, OVC awards eight to 10 grants annually to Indian tribes to improve the investigation,

prosecution, and handling of cases of child sexual abuse and serious child physical abuse in a

manner that increases support for and reduces trauma to child victims. The program goal is to

strengthen existing child abuse programs or develop new programs that deal effectively with

cases of child sexual abuse and serious child physical abuse and to promote these projects as

models for other tribes to use in developing similar programs.

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Victim Assistance in Indian Country Program (VAIC). The VAIC grant program provides

funding directly to tribes to establish “on-reservation” victim assistance programs for federal

crime victims in Indian country, where the U.S. Government is responsible for investigating and

prosecuting crimes. To date, OVC has expended $6,600,000 on this effort and, as a result, has

funded approximately 52 tribes in 19 states that provide services such as crisis intervention,

emergency shelter for family violence victims, mental health counseling, and court advocacy.

The majority of the services provided under this program assist child victims. 

Tribal Court Appointed Special Advocate Programs (CASA). These programs will enable

tribal court systems to assign advocates to represent the best interests of Native American

children. This funding will provide for two tribal CASA and for those programs to participate in

the National CASA Conference. 

DEMONSTRATION PROGRAMS

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NATIONAL SCOPE TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

OVC has funded national scope training and technical assistance projects that focus on special

categories of victims, such as victims of domestic violence, child victims, the elderly, and

minorities. Other projects target specific professional groups, such as law enforcement officers,

prosecutors, and judges, as well as corrections, probation, and parole personnel. In addition,

training and technical assistance have been provided to victim service providers and allied

professionals who work with victims, such as mental health professionals. Some projects have

addressed multi-disciplinary audiences, composed of representatives from different fields. 

Over the past couple of years OVC has provided funding for a number of training and technical

assistance programs focused specifically on domestic violence, child abuse, and other family

violence issues. 

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59

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Sexual Victimization of Youth. The National Child Advocacy Center, Huntsville, AL will

conduct a symposium to identify issues and challenges in responding effectively to young

victims of sexual violence, including promising practices, and new strategies for further action.

Up to 20 leading practitioners, policy makers, and researchers will be invited to attend the

symposium. With a comprehensive focus on sexual victimization, including sexual homicide,

forcible rape, incest, acquaintance rape, and sexual exploitation, the symposium will concentrate

on the experience of adolescents (ages 11 through 18 years).

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60

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61

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UWEJEQNNCDQTCVKQPUCPFVJGKORQTVCPEGQHHQEWUKPIQPVJKUKUUWG
63

IV. OJP PUBLICATIONS ON FAMILY VIOLENCE

"Bitter Earth: Child Sexual Abuse in Indian Country," A 45-Minute film produced under

the sponsorship of the Office for Victims Of Crime, 1993.

$Coordinating Criminal and Juvenile Court Proceedings in Child Maltreatment Cases,#

Debra Whitcomb and Mark Hardin, Research Preview, National Institute of Justice,

October 1996.

$Confidentiality of Domestic Violence Victims’ Addresses,# the National Criminal Justice

Association, November 1995, sponsored by the National Institute of Justice.

"Child Rape Victims, 1992," Patrick A. Langan and Caroline Wolf Harlow, Crime Data

Brief, Bureau of Justice Statistics, June 1994.

$Criminal Victimization 1994," Craig Perkins and Patsy Klaus, Bureau of Justice

Statistics, Bulletin, April 1996.

$Criminal Victimization in the United States, 1993," National Crime Victimization Survey

Report, Bureau of Justice Statistics, May 1996.

"The Cycle of Violence," Cathy Spatz Widom, Research in Brief, National Institute of

Justice, October 1992.

$Domestic and Sexual Violence Data Collection: A Report to Congress under the Violence 

Against Women Act,# Justice Research and Statistics Association, National Institute of

Justice and the Bureau of Justice Statistics, July 1996.

$Domestic Violence, Stalking, and Antistalking Legislation: An Annual Report to Congress

under the Violence Against Women Act,# National Institute of Justice, 1996.

"The Emotional Effects of Testifying on Sexually Abused Children," Deborah Whitcomb,

Gail S. Goodman, Desmond K. Runyan, and Shirley Hoak, Research in Brief, National

Institute of Justice, April 1994.

$Evaluation of Family Violence Training Programs,# Lisa Newmark, Adele Harrell, and

William P. Adams, Research Preview, National Institute of Justice, November 1995.

"Family Life, Delinquency, and Crime: A Policymaker's Guide," Kevin N. Wright and

Karen E. Wright, Research Summary, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Prevention, May 1994.
64

"Family Strengthening in Preventing Delinquency - A Literature Review," Karol

Kumpher, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 1994.

"Family Violence: Interventions for the Justice System," Program Brief, Bureau of Justice

Assistance, October 1993.

$Female Victims of Violent Crime,# Diane Craven, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Selected

Findings, December 1996.

"Helping to Prevent Child Abuse and Its Future Criminal Consequences: Hawaii Healthy

Start," Ralph Earle, Program Focus, National Institute of Justice, 1995.

"Highlights from 20 Years of Surveying Crime Victims," The National Crime

Victimization Survey, 1973-92, Bureau of Justice Statistics, October 1993.

"Improving the Police Response to Domestic Elder Abuse: Instructor Training Manual,"

Prepared by the Police Executive Research Forum for the Office for Victims of Crime,

September 1993.

$Intervening in Family and Domestic Violence: A Resource Manual for Community

Corrections Professionals,# American Probation and Parole Association, Bureau of Justice

Assistance, 1996.

"Joint Investigations of Child Abuse: Report of a Symposium," Research Report, National

Institute of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Prevention, and the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, July 1993.

"Missing, Abducted, Runaway and Thrownaway Children in America," David Finklehor,

Gerry Hotaling, Andrea Sedlak, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention,

1990.

"Murder in Families," John M. Dawson and Patrick A. Langan, Bureau of Justice

Statistics Special Report, July 1994.

"New Approach to Interviewing Children: A Test of Its Effectiveness," Research in Brief,

National Institute of Justice, May 1992.

"Obstacles to the Recovery and Return of Parentally Abducted Children," Linda K.

Girdner and Patricia M. Hoff, Research Summary, Office of Juvenile Justice and

Delinquency Prevention, 1994.

"Parental Abductors: Four Interviews," Geoffrey Greif, Video in VHS format, Office of

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 1993.
65

"Police and Child Abuse: New Policies for Expanded Responsibilities," Susan E. Martin

and Douglas J. Besharov, Issues and Practices, National Institute of Justice, June 1991.

"Preserving Families To Prevent Delinquency," Juvenile Justice Bulletin, Office of

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 1992.

"Prosecuting Child Physical Abuse Cases: A Case Study in San Diego," Barbara Smith,

Research in Brief, National Institute of Justice, June 1995.

$A Regional Seminar Series for States on Implementing Anti-Stalking Codes# the National

Criminal Justice Association, Bureau of Justice Assistance, June 1996.

A Report of the Violence Against Women Research Strategic Planning Workshop,

Sponsored by the National Institute of Justice in Cooperation with the Department of

Health and Human Services, March 31, 1995.

$Spouse Murder Defendants in Large Urban Counties,# Patrick A. Langan, Ph.D. and John

M. Dawson, Bureau of Justice Statistics, September 1995.

$Understanding Violence Against Women,# Nancy A. Crowell and Ann W. Burgess, editors,

National Academy Press, 1996, sponsored by the National Institute of Justice and the

Centers for Disease Control.

$The Validity and Use of Evidence Concerning Battering and Its Effects in Criminal Trials:

A Report to Congress under the Violence Against Women Act,# May 1996, sponsored by

the National Institute of Justice, the State Justice Institute, the National Institute of Mental

Health, and the Administration for Children and Families.

"Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse - Later Criminal Consequences," Cathy Spatz

Widom, Research in Brief, National Institute of Justice, March 1995.

$The Violence Against Women Act of 1994: Evaluation of the STOP Block Grants to

Combat Violence Against Women,# Martha Burt with Lisa Newmark, Mary Norris, Daryl

Dyer, and Adele Harrell, The Urban Institute, March 1996, sponsored by the National

Institute of Justice.

"Violence Against Women," Ronet Bachman, National Crime Victimization Survey

Report, Bureau of Justice Statistics, January 1994.

"Violence Against Women: Estimates from the Redesigned National Crime Victimization

Survey," Ronet Bachman and Linda E. Saltzman, Bureau of Justice Statistics, June 1995.

"Violence Between Intimates," Marianne Zawitz, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Selected
66

Findings, November 1994.

$Violent Families and Youth Violence,# Fact Sheet, T.P. Thornberry, Office of Juvenile

Justice and Delinquency Prevention, December 1994.

"VOCA: Helping Victims of Child Abuse," Robin V. Delany-Shabazz, Fact Sheet, Office of

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, June 1995.

"When the Victim is a Child," Deborah Whitcomb, Issues and Practices, National Institute

of Justice, March 1992.

For these and additional publications and reports on justice issues in family violence

contact the National Criminal Justice Reference Service, Box 6000, Rockville, MD 20850. 

Phone Toll Free 800 851-3420 or Locally 301 251-5500.

This report is available on the World Wide Web at the Office of Justice Programs Home

Page: www.ojp.usdoj.gov under the publications section.
67

V. FAMILY VIOLENCE CONTACTS

Office of Justice Programs

Violence Against Women Office

Bonnie Campbell, Director 202 616-9456 campbell@justice.usdoj.gov

Sarah Connell 202 616-9456 connells@justice.usdoj.gov

Office of the Assistant Attorney General

Noel Brennan, Deputy Assistant Attorney General 

202 307-5933 brennan@ojp.usdoj.gov

Meg Morrow, Special Assistant to the Deputy Assistant Attorney General 

202 305 2986 morrowm@ojp.usdoj.gov

Norena Henry, Indian Desk 202 616-3205 henry@ojp.usdoj.gov

Violence Against Women Grants Office

Kathy Schwartz, Administrator 202 307-6026 schwartz@ojp.usdoj.gov 

Catherine Pierce 202 307-3913 piercec@ojp.usdoj.gov

Jacqueline Agtuca 202 307-6015 agtuca@ojp.usdoj.gov

Preet Kang 202 305-2981 kangp@ojp.usdoj.gov

Kim Cross 202 307-3159 crossk@ojp.usdoj.gov

Bureau of Justice Assistance

Jennifer Knobe 202 616-3212 knobej@ojp.usdoj.gov

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Diane Craven 202 633-3055 cravend@ojp.usdoj.gov

Michael Rand 202 633-3040 mike@ojp.usdoj.gov

National Institute of Justice

Bernard Auchter, Family Violence/Violence Against Women 202 307-0154 

auchter@ojp.usdoj.gov

Stephanie Bourque 202 307-2955 bourque@ojp.usdoj.gov

Cheri Crawford 202 514-6210 cheryl@ojp.usdoj.gov

Lois Mock 202 307-0693 loism@ojp.usdoj.gov

Angela Moore Parmley, Family Violence/Violence Against Women 202 307-0145

parmleya@ojp.usdoj.gov

Cynthia Nahabedian 202 514-5981 nahabedc@ojp.usdoj.gov

Richard Titus, Victimization Research 202 307-0695 titus@ojp.usdoj.gov

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Sharie Cantelon 202 616-3658 sharie@ojp.usdoj.gov
68

Robin Delaney-Shabazz 202 307-9963 delany@ojp.usdoj.gov

Office for Victims of Crime

Judy Bonderman 202 305-2984 bonderma@ojp.usdoj.gov

Duane Ragan 202 307-5948 duane@ojp.usdoj.gov

Marti Speights 202 514-6444 marti@ojp.usdoj.gov

Olga Trujillo 202 616-3585 olga@ojp.usdoj.gov