Deadline: 25-Jul-22
The Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI) is now accepting applications for the Services * Training * Officers * Prosecutors (STOP) Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program to support communities in their efforts to develop and strengthen effective responses to sexual assault, sex trafficking, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking.
The program encourages community partnerships between law enforcement, prosecution, courts, and victim services organizations to enhance victim safety and hold offenders accountable. STOP is authorized by the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) through the Office on Violence Against Women under the U.S. Department of Justice.
Purposes
Pursuant to 34 U.S.C. § 10441(b), funds under this program must be used for one or more of the following purposes:
- Training law enforcement officers, judges, other court personnel, and prosecutors to more effectively identify and respond to violent crimes against women, including the crimes of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking, including the appropriate use of nonimmigrant status under subparagraphs (T) and (U) of section 101(a)(15) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)).
- Developing, training, or expanding units of law enforcement officers, judges, other court personnel, and prosecutors specifically targeting violent crimes against women, including the crimes of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking.
- Developing and implementing more effective police, court, and prosecution policies, protocols, orders, and services specifically devoted to preventing, identifying, and responding to violent crimes against women, including the crimes of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking, as well as the appropriate treatment of victims, including implementation of the grant conditions in section 40002(b)of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (34 U.S.C. 12291(b)).
- Developing, installing, or expanding data collection and communication systems, including computerized systems, linking police, prosecutors, and courts or for the purpose of identifying, classifying, and tracking arrests, protection orders, violations of protection orders, prosecutions, and convictions for violent crimes against women, including the crimes of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking.
- Developing, enlarging, or strengthening victim services and legal assistance programs, including sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking programs, developing or improving delivery of victim services and legal services to underserved populations, providing specialized domestic violence court advocates in courts where a significant number of protection orders are granted, and increasing reporting and reducing attrition rates for cases involving violent crimes against women, including crimes of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking.
- Developing, enlarging, or strengthening programs addressing the needs and circumstances of Indian tribes in dealing with violent crimes against women, including the crimes of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking.
- Supporting formal and informal statewide, multidisciplinary efforts, to the extent not supported by state funds, to coordinate the response of state law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, courts, victim services agencies, and other state agencies and departments, to violent crimes against women, including the crimes of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking
- Training of sexual assault forensic medical personnel examiners in the collection and preservation of evidence, analysis, prevention, and providing expert testimony and treatment of trauma related to sexual assault.
- Developing, enlarging, or strengthening programs to assist law enforcement, prosecutors, courts, and others to address the needs and circumstances of individuals 50 years of age or over, individuals with disabilities, and Deaf individuals who are victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking, including recognizing, investigating, and prosecuting instances of such violence or assault and targeting outreach and support, counseling, legal assistance, and other victim services to such individuals.
- Providing assistance to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in immigration matters.
- Maintaining core victim services and criminal justice initiatives, while supporting complementary new initiatives and emergency services for victims and their families including rehabilitative work with offenders.
- Supporting the placement of special victim assistants (to be known as “Jessica Gonzales Victim Assistants”) in local law enforcement agencies to serve as liaisons between victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking and personnel in local law enforcement agencies in order to improve the enforcement of protection orders.
- Providing funding to law enforcement agencies, victim services providers, and state, tribal, territorial, and local governments.
- Developing and promoting state, local, or tribal legislation and policies that enhance best practices for responding to sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking.
- Developing, implementing, or enhancing Sexual Assault Response Teams, or other similar coordinated community responses to sexual assault.
- Developing and strengthening policies, protocols, best practices, and training for law enforcement agencies and prosecutors relating to the investigation and prosecution of sexual assault cases and the appropriate treatment of victims.
- Developing, enlarging, or strengthening programs addressing sexual assault against men, women, and youth in correctional and detention settings.
- Identifying and conducting inventories of backlogs of sexual assault evidence collection kits and developing protocols and policies for responding to and addressing such backlogs, including protocols and policies for notifying and involving victims.
- Developing, enlarging, or strengthening programs and projects to provide services and responses targeting male and female victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking, whose ability to access traditional services and responses is affected by their sexual orientation or gender identity, as defined in section 249(c) of title 18 of the United States Code.
- Developing, enhancing, or strengthening prevention and educational programming to address sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking, or female genital mutilation or cutting; with not more than 5 percent of the amount allocated to a state to be used for this purpose.
- Developing, enhancing, or strengthening programs and projects to improve evidence collection methods for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking, including through funding for technology that better detects bruising and injuries across skin tones and related training.
- Developing, enlarging, or strengthening culturally specific victim services programs to provide culturally specific victim services and responses to female genital mutilation or cutting.
- Providing victim advocates in State or local law enforcement agencies, prosecutors’ offices, and courts and providing supportive services and advocacy to Indian victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
- Paying any fees charged by any governmental authority for furnishing a victim or the child of a victim.
Priority Areas
The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) is interested in supporting the priority areas. In shaping their strategies, OVW encourages states and territories to develop and support projects that:
- Advance racial equity as an essential component of ending sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking.
- Increase access to justice for all survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking, including through exploration of survivor-centered criminal justice system reform.
- Strengthen efforts to prevent and end sexual assault, including victim services and civil and criminal justice responses.
- Expand economic justice and financial advocacy for survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking, including as a tool for violence prevention.
- Improve outreach, services, civil and criminal justice responses, prevention, and support for survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking from underserved communities, particularly LGBTQ+ and immigrant communities.
Funding Information
- The amount of funding available will be determined at the time ICJI receives our federal award letter. ICJI estimates providing approximately 65-75 awards in the amount of $10,000 to $150,000.
- Grant recipients may apply for future grant funding on a yearly basis through the competitive grant application process.
- Duration: The award period for this grant shall be October 1, 2022 – September 30, 2023. Projects should begin on October 1 and must be in operation no later than 60 days after this date.
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible entity types include:
- State agencies
- Units of local government
- Nonprofit organizations
- Faith-based organizations
For more information, visit https://www.in.gov/cji/victim-services/vawa-stop/