OJP Family Violence Working Group

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

III. Family Violence Programs in the Office of Justice Programs

V. OJP Family Violence Contacts

"Unless we do something about violence in the home, we'll never be able to do something about violence in the streets."

Attorney General Janet Reno
At the American Medical Association National Conference on Family Violence, Washington, D.C. March 13, 1994

"In addition to reducing the numbers of women and children affected by violent crime, 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."

Laurie Robinson
Assistant Attorney General
Office of Justice Programs
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

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