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According to the 2007 National Crime Victimization Survey of the United States, approximately 623,000 violent crimes–554,000 against female victims–were committed by an intimate partner and approximately 248,300 rape/sexual assault victimizations occurred in 2007. The 2007 BJS Report on "Homicide Trends in the U.S." revealed that about one-third of female murder victims were killed by an intimate [partner]. A study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that about 10% of students report being physically hurt by a boyfriend or girlfriend in the last 12 months. Lastly, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics Supplemental Victimization Survey on Stalking, an estimated 3.4 million persons age 18 or older were victims of stalking during a 12 month period.
A coordinated community response from advocacy organizations in partnership with the criminal justice system is critical to reducing violent crimes of violence against women and enhancing victim safety and offender accountability.
Program Overview
The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) currently administers 19 grant programs authorized by the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 and subsequent legislation. These grant programs are designed to develop the nation’s capacity to reduce domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking by strengthening services to victims and holding offenders accountable for their actions.
The Grants to Encourage Arrest Policies and Enforcement of Protection Orders (Arrest Program) was initially authorized under the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA). The Arrest Program recognizes that domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking are crimes that require the criminal justice system to hold offenders accountable for their actions through investigation, arrest, and prosecution of violent offenders, and through close judicial oversight of offender behavior.
This discretionary grant program is designed to encourage state, local, and tribal governments and state, local, and tribal courts to treat domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking as serious violations of criminal law requiring coordination with nonprofit, nongovernmental victim advocates and representatives from the criminal justice system. This program challenges the whole community to communicate, identify problems, and share ideas that will result in new responses and the application of best practices to enhance victim safety and offender accountability.
In Fiscal Year 2008, the Arrest Program funded 68 projects, totaling more than $42.6 million. Since 1996, OVW has funded approximately 1,263 Arrest Program projects, totaling more than $611 million, for grantees addressing a coordinated community response to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
Eligible Applicants
Eligible applicants include states, Indian tribal governments, state, tribal, territorial, and local courts (including juvenile courts), and units of local government.
To be eligible for a grant, applicants are required to enter into collaborative working relationships with a nonprofit, nongovernmental sexual assault and/or domestic violence program in the community to be served.
Priority Areas
OVW has an interest in projects that:
- Include dedicated parole and probation officers within existing or newly created domestic violence and sexual assault units to actively participate in holding perpetrators accountable;
- Develop innovative programs to improve judicial handling of domestic violence and sexual assault cases;
- Address system accountability by conducting a safety audit of the jurisdiction's criminal justice system;
- Develop Sexual Assault Response Teams (SART) to actively respond to sexual assault victims;
- Involve faith-based and/or community-driven initiatives to address violence against women among diverse and traditionally underserved populations.
Materials and Publications
Battered Women's Justice Project Resources
International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Model Policy on Domestic Violence
IACP's Model Policy on Investigating Sexual Assaults
Judicial Oversight Demonstration Initiatives
National Council on Juvenile and Family Court Judges Burgundy Book
Technical Assistance Providers
AEquitas: The Prosecutors' Resource on Violence Against Women
Battered Women's Justice Project
Emerge
International Association of Chiefs of Police
Lethality Assessment
National Center for State Courts
National Council on Juvenile and Family Court Judges
National District Attorney Association's National Center on the Prosecution of Violence Against Women
National Judicial Institute on Domestic Violence
National Resource Center on Full Faith and Credit
Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault
Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape
Project on Full Faith and Credit
Resources
For a complete list of OVW grant awards by state, visit OVW’s website: http://www.ovw.usdoj.gov/grantactivities.htm.
If you have additional questions, contact the OVW Arrest Unit at OVW.Arrest@usdoj.gov or (202) 307-6026.
November 2008
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