Section 5

Effective Interventions To Address Violence, Victimization, and Victims’ Rights

Overview

OVC is charged by Congress with the administration of the Crime Victims Fund, the bedrock of federal funding for victim services across the nation. OVC manages two major funding streams that channel formula grants to states and territories to provide compensation and assistance to victims. OVC also supports national scope demonstration projects, training and technical assistance, and other capacity building programs to strengthen the knowledge and skills of service providers, advocates, and others who are committed to ensuring justice for all victims of crime.

OVC is challenged by an increased demand for services and rapidly changing social realities—from new technologies to shifting demographic trends. A critical aspect of OJP’s capacity building strategy is a reliance on research to guide planning and set priorities, emphasizing evidence-based, culturally competent, victim-centered programs and services. In 2012, OVC will continue to build on the strategically planned programs, projects, and activities, initially funded in 2011, that have proven to be efficiently managed and effective in targeting specific needs of victims. These programs, funded by discretionary grants, will help strengthen established support for victims, including those historically underserved because of race, age, socio-economic status, disability, or sexual orientation—many of whom experience high rates of victimization. This continued focus will help to ensure that more victims of crime receive the skilled, compassionate care they need and deserve.

OVC’s strategy for building the field’s capacity to serve victims incorporates an increased reliance on dynamic, multidisciplinary partnerships. In 2012, OVC will continue its support of action partnerships, with a special emphasis on poly-victimization. In collaboration with federal and other partners, OVC will continue to address identity theft and financial fraud through public awareness and support to practitioners and to support those in the field who combat human trafficking. The enduring challenge of improving culturally sensitive services to victims in Indian Country remains a high priority. Also, as access to legal services is essential to ensuring justice for victims, OVC is supporting the development of wraparound legal assistance demonstration programs. Additional expertise in many of these areas is provided by OVC’s visiting fellows program, which brings victim service specialists from across the country to Washington, DC to support OVC’s mission.

Discretionary Programs

Program Name Action Partnerships for Membership, Professional, and Community Service Organizations Responding to Poly-Victimization Issues
FY 2012 Funding $1,500,000
OJP Sponsor OVC
Web Link www.ovc.gov
Program Contacts Jasmine D’Addario-Fobian, (202) 305-3332, jasmine.d’addario-fobian@usdoj.gov; Sharron Chapman, (202) 305-2358, Sharron.Chapman@usdoj.gov
Program Description
This program develops and/or improves the capacity of members of national membership, professional, and community service organizations to advance victims’ rights and improve victims’ services, with a focus on poly-victimization. The purpose of this cooperative agreement is to create partnerships among OVC, the victim services field, and national scope membership, professional, and community service organizations to advance victims’ rights and services through training, public awareness, and educational efforts. OVC anticipates funding up to six cooperative agreements of up to $250,000 each.

Program Name Wraparound Victim Legal Assistance Network Demonstration Project
FY 2012 Funding $2,400,000
OJP Sponsor OVC
Web Link www.ovc.gov
Program Contact Meg Morrow (202) 307-5983, Meg.Morrow@usdoj.gov
Program Description
This demonstration project will fund up to six sites to develop comprehensive, wraparound, pro bono legal assistance networks to meet the wide range of legal needs of crime victims. The networks funded under this demonstration project will develop collaborative models, in jurisdictions of various sizes, for fully meeting a victim’s legal needs -- models that may be replicated in other jurisdictions of similar sizes around the country. Legal services will include civil legal assistance (including but not limited to family, custody and dependency, tribal, employment, and administrative issues related to the victimization); enforcement of victims’ rights in criminal proceedings; assistance for victims of financial fraud; and immigration assistance for human trafficking victims and battered immigrant women.

Program Name Identifying Culturally Responsive Victim-Centered Restorative Justice (VCRJ) Strategies
FY 2012 Funding $250,000
OJP Sponsor OVC
Web Link www.ovc.gov
Program Contact Mary Atlas-Terry, (202) 353-8473, mary.atlas-terry@usdoj.gov; Kathleen Gless, (202) 307-6049, Kathleen.Gless@usdoj.gov
Program Description
This program will support a national assessment of current victim-centered restorative justice practices, such as traditional peacemaking or peacekeeping strategies, with an emphasis on practices implemented in tribal and urban inner city areas. The analysis and assessment of current programs and the subsequent written report will help OVC develop a demonstration site designed to implement and evaluate promising victim-centered models. The development of VCRJ models may help communities to support victims in their recovery by providing more procedural and distributive fairness to victims without interfering with offenders’ rights or public safety.

Program Name Victim Assistance Professional Development Fellowship Program – Financial Fraud and Abuse Fellowship
FY 2012 Funding $135,000
OJP Sponsor OVC
Web Link www.ovc.gov
Program Contact Meg Morrow, (202) 307-5983, Meg.Morrow@usdoj.gov
Program Description
This competitive program will award one fellowship to enhance OVC’s efforts to facilitate the understanding, development, or enhancement of innovative programs, models, practices, and protocols that serve crime victims. The fellow will focus on financial fraud and abuse, with a major focus on elder financial exploitation. Additionally, the fellowship will address financial abuse including identity theft, which is closely connected to other types of victimization, such as domestic violence and child abuse.

Program Name Services for Victims of Human Trafficking
FY 2012 Funding $TBD
OJP Sponsor OVC
Web Link www.ovc.gov
Program Contact Brad Mitchell, (202) 514-9069, Bradley.Mitchell@usdoj.gov
Program Description
This program provides funding to victim service organizations with a demonstrated history of providing trauma-informed, culturally competent services to male and female victims of sex trafficking and labor trafficking. Funding under this program will support either a comprehensive array of services for trafficking victims in specific geographic areas or specialized mental health or legal services over larger geographic areas. Funding also will support efforts to increase the capacity of communities to respond to victims through the development of interagency partnerships and public outreach and awareness campaigns.

Program Name Services for Victims of Human Trafficking Fellowship Program
FY 2012 Funding $135,000
OJP Sponsor OVC
Web Link www.ovc.gov
Program Contact Brad Mitchell, (202) 514-9069, Bradley.Mitchell@usdoj.gov
Program Description
This competitive program will award one fellowship to assist OVC in its ongoing efforts to advance services for victims of human trafficking within the United States. The fellow will support the administration of OVC’s Services for Victims of Human Trafficking Program along with all associated training, technical assistance, and outreach efforts dedicated toward victim service professionals, law enforcement, and allied professionals. The fellow will undertake special projects that support OVC, OJP, and DOJ leadership, including developing reports, speeches, and articles; participating in stakeholder meetings; assisting in the development of information and policy guidance; and providing direct operational assistance to crime victim organizations, as appropriate.

Program Name Children’s Justice Act Partnerships for Indian Communities Grant Program
FY 2012 Funding $2,700,000
OJP Sponsor OVC
Web Link www.ovc.gov
Program Contact Tanya Miller, (202) 616-3453, Tanya.Miller4@usdoj.gov
Program Description
The Children’s Justice Act Partnerships for Indian Communities Grant Program is designed to support demonstration projects in American Indian/Alaska Native communities that improve the investigation, prosecution, and case management of child abuse, sexual abuse and physical abuse cases, in a manner that increases support for and lessens trauma to child abuse victims. Grantees awarded through this program will receive training and technical assistance to support program implementation.

Program Name Sexual Assault Forensic Medical Examination Telemedicine Center: An Innovative Pilot Project
FY 2012 Funding $3,500,000
OJP Sponsor OVC/NIJ
Web Link www.ovc.gov
Program Contacts Marnie Shiels, (202) 616-3609, marnie.shiels2@usdoj.gov; Ivette Estrada, (202) 307-0932, Ivette.estrada@usdoj.gov
Program Description
Research has demonstrated that Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) programs and Sexual Assault Response Teams (SART) are effective at enhancing the quality of health care for sexual assault victims, improving the quality of forensic evidence collected, and increasing prosecution rates over time; however, for rural and tribal areas, it can be difficult to start SANE and SART programs due to a lack of resources. In addition, it can be difficult for medical personnel to get sufficient experience due to the small number of exams performed. The purpose of this project is to provide live access to SANEs, or other expert medical forensic examiners, for four pilot sites that will be selected through a separate solicitation issued by the recipient of this award in partnership with the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC). Sites may include rural, tribal, military, urban/suburban without a current medical forensic program, and/or correctional settings. The recipient will be expected to create a national telemedicine center for sexual assault medical forensic exams. The center should be staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with highly trained, experienced SANEs or SAFEs. The telemedicine center must have the technological capability for the individuals to directly assist in the examinations being conducted at the pilot sites. The award recipient will also be expected to carry out a process evaluation of the project.

Training and Technical Assistance

Program Name Training and Technical Assistance to Improve Understanding and Application of Research and Evaluation in Victim Services
FY 2012 Funding $250,000
OJP Sponsor OVC
Web Link www.ovc.gov
Program Contact Meg Morrow (202) 307-5983, Meg.Morrow@usdoj.gov
Program Description
Under this project, OVC will support a national initiative to assist the field in becoming more educated contributors to and consumers of research and evaluation that can lead to more effective and cost-efficient services for victims of crime. The grantee will develop training and technical assistance that can be delivered through interactive online access.

Program Name National Field Generated Demonstration Projects Responding to Poly-Victimization Issues
FY 2012 Funding $1,500,000
OJP Sponsor OVC
Web Link www.ovc.gov
Program Contact Sharron Chapman, (202) 305-2358, Sharron.Chapman@usdoj.gov
Program Description
This program improves the capacity of crime victim service organizations and partners to advance victims’ rights and improve victims’ services, with a focus on poly-victimization. The purpose of this effort is to fund the development of demonstration projects developed from a promising practice, model, or program to identify and address awareness and service needs of victims who suffer from poly-victimization.

Program Name American Indian and Alaska Native Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) Program
FY 2012 Funding $750,000
OJP Sponsor OVC
Web Link www.ovc.gov
Program Contact Kathleen Gless, (202) 307-6049, Kathleen.Gless@usdoj.gov; Tanya Miller, (202) 307-3453, Tanya.Miller4@usdoj.gov
Program Description
Through this program, OVC will support a TTA provider who demonstrates recognition of and experience with the importance of culture, history, traditions, and spirituality inherent in the American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) community, as well as the value of adapting community and evidence-based victim assistance intervention strategies for tribal communities. The OVC AI&AN TTA Program will support OVC’s Children’s Justice Act (CJA) Partnerships for Indian Communities and Comprehensive Tribal Victim Assistance (CTVAP) sites. The purpose of the program is to support and enhance the CJA and CTVAP sites’ capacity to coordinate and provide a comprehensive array of culturally and linguistically appropriate services to victims of crime, their families, and the community. The TTA provider will be expected to develop an appropriate approach for each site. The TTA provider will help sites conduct comprehensive community needs assessments; develop strategic plans; and implement tools and mechanisms for collecting data for performance measures and program evaluation that will enhance and build sustainable, culturally relevant, comprehensive victim-centered CJA or CTVAP projects.

Program Name State Victim Assistance Academy (SVAA) New
FY 2012 Funding $210,000
OJP Sponsor OVC
Web Link www.ovc.gov
Program Contact Richard Greenough, (202) 616-8715, Richard.greenough2@usdoj.gov
Program Description
This program will provide $35,000 grants to support up to six states in phase one of the establishment of a State Victim Assistance Academy (SVAA). SVAAs provide training to develop skills of victim assistance providers from community- and systems-based programs. Applicants are limited to the states that do not have an SVAA funded by OVC. For more information on where OVC-funded SVAAs are located, visit www.ovc.gov/assist/existingsvaa.html. Applicants are limited to public agencies, colleges and universities, state governments, and private nonprofit organizations, including faith-based organizations that can demonstrate capability to carry out all statewide planning activities required by the funded project. Two states may jointly apply for funding to develop a regional SVAA.

Research and Statistical Programs

Program Name Supplementary Study of Victimization of People Residing in Group Quarters
FY 2012 Funding OVC $500,000; BJS $1,500,000
OJP Sponsor BJS/OVC
Web Link www.ovc.gov; bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/
Program Contact BJS William Sabol, (202) 514-1062, William.Sabol@usdoj.gov and OVC Jasmine D’Addario-Fobian, (202) 305-3332, jasmine.d’addario-fobian@usdoj.gov
Program Description
Limited statistical information exists about crime victims with disabilities, especially those in institutions. The National Crime Victimization Survey is not adequate to capture information about this population. BJS has partnered with OVC to pursue, through a competitive solicitation, research both to supplement and complement the general information currently available. Information obtained ideally would be able to be extrapolated across populations and will illustrate the Justice Department’s seriousness and commitment to addressing the issues of crime victims with disabilities.

Program Name Methodological Research To Support the Redesign of the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)
FY 2012 Funding TBD
OJP Sponsor BJS
Web Link bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/
Program Contact William Sabol, (202) 514-1062, William.Sabol@usdoj.gov
Program Description
The purpose of the project is to implement a pilot test for boosting the NCVS sample in a set of states to test the feasibility of state boosts for the national design of the NCVS. This test will move the NCVS towards its goals related to subnational estimates of criminal victimization, improve survey methodology, and introduce sample allocation methods that can provide for long-term economies of scale associated with producing state-level estimates of criminal victimization. It also will better meet the challenges of measuring the extent, characteristics, and consequences of criminal victimization as it exists today or may evolve in the future.

Program Name NCVS Victim/Offender Overlap and Victimization
FY 2012 Funding $1,000,000
OJP Sponsor BJS
Web Link bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/
Program Contact William Sabol, (202) 514-1062, William.Sabol@usdoj.gov
Program Description
This project will involve the design and testing of instruments to measure the victimization and offending experiences among a sample of jail inmates. The focus of the project will be on instrumentation that measures both prior victimization and offense behavior. Testing of the instrument will occur among a sample of jail inmates. This design work will inform BJS efforts to field a national implementation of a jail inmate survey that samples from the flow of inmates arriving into jails after booking to generate estimates of victimization rates (prior to jail admission) of hard-to-measure populations (such as homeless persons and highly mobile persons) in order to better understand the victim/offender overlap.

Program Name Research and Evaluation on Violence Against Women: Sexual Violence, Stalking, and Teen Dating Violence
FY 2012 Funding $3,000,000
OJP Sponsor NIJ
Web Link www.nij.gov/funding/welcome.htm
Program Contact Bethany Backes, (202) 305-4419, Bethany.Backes@usdoj.gov or Carrie Mulford, (202) 307-2959, Carrie.Mulford@usdoj.gov
Program Description
NIJ is seeking research and evaluation on specific issues related to sexual violence, stalking, and teen dating violence. The issue areas for sexual violence research are the criminal justice response to particular underserved populations; the development and testing of instruments with diverse populations; and testing of innovative interventions aimed at improving initial criminal justice responses to victims of sexual violence. Priority areas for research on stalking are evaluating offender interventions specific to stalking behavior by current or former intimate partners; and law enforcement and prosecutorial actions regarding particular stalking issues. In the area of teen dating violence (i.e. adolescent relationship abuse), applications are sought for additional waves of data for existing longitudinal projects.

Program Name Longitudinal Data on Teen Dating Violence: Post Doctoral Fellowship
FY 2012 Funding $600,000
OJP Sponsor NIJ
Web Link www.nij.gov/funding/welcome.htm
Program Contact Carrie Mulford, (202) 307-2959, Carrie.Mulford@usdoj.gov
Program Description
NIJ is seeking applications for research related to teen dating violence (i.e. adolescent relationship abuse). In particular, NIJ is seeking proposals that explore predictors and consequences of teen dating violence using longitudinal data through the support of postdoctoral fellows to analyze existing data.

Program Name Replication Research on Sexual Violence Case Attrition
FY 2012 Funding $1,200,000
OJP Sponsor NIJ
Web Link www.nij.gov/funding/welcome.htm
Program Contact Bethany Backes, (202) 305-4419, Bethany.Backes@usdoj.gov
Program Description
NIJ seeks proposals for funding for one research grant to replicate the study "Police Decision Making in Sexual Assault Cases: An Analysis of Crimes Reported to the Los Angeles Police Department, 2006-2008" (NIJ Grant # 2009-WG-BX-0009) at six sites. Sites should cover urban, suburban, and rural areas. Proposals should, to the extent possible, replicate the mixed methods design and analytic approach as found in the final technical report and data documentation files of the aforementioned study.

Program Name Violent Victimization Among Racial and Ethnic Minorities
FY 2012 Funding $750,000
OJP Sponsor NIJ
Web Link www.nij.gov/funding/welcome.htm
Program Contact Nadine Frederique, (202) 514-8777, Nadine.Frederique@usdoj.gov
Program Description
NIJ seeks proposals for funding for a study that constitutes new research on the violent victimization experiences of racial and ethnic minority males and/or females. NIJ seeks to move this body of research forward by examining the breadth of causes of differential victimization rates among racial and ethnic minorities.

Program Name Research on the Link between Victimization and Offending
FY 2012 Funding $750,000
OJP Sponsor NIJ
Web Link www.nij.gov/funding/welcome.htm
Program Contact Dara Blachman-Demner, (202) 514-9528, Dara.Blachman-Demner@usdoj.gov or Carrie Mulford, (202) 307-2959, Carrie.Mulford@usdoj.gov
Program Description
NIJ seeks proposals to conduct research that enhances knowledge of the relationship between victimization and offending, with an emphasis on criminal incidents or events. NIJ encourages applicants to submit proposals for bold, innovative approaches to enhancing the current understanding of the processes linking criminal offending and victimization.

Program Name Evaluability Assessments of the Circles of Support and Accountability Model
FY 2012 Funding $125,000
OJP Sponsor NIJ
Web Link www.nij.gov/funding/welcome.htm
Program Contact Marie Garcia, (202) 514–7128, Marie.Garcia@usdoj.gov
Program Description
As part of a collaborative effort with the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART), NIJ seeks competitive proposals for a single award that will support an evaluability assessment of up to five sites that are implementing the Circles of Support and Accountability (COSA) model. Results from the evaluability assessments may become a precursor to further research and program development work, lay possible groundwork for other targeted research, and assist with the coordination of extramural and intramural research and evaluation efforts sponsored by NIJ and partnering agencies (e.g., the SMART Office).