OVW Podcast: Patchwork
OVW Podcast: Patchwork
Patchwork, a podcast from the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), offers a glimpse into the implementation of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) at the local, state, tribal, and national levels. How are VAWA grants made? What happens after the grants leave Washington and arrive in communities across the country? Who are the people who benefit from the grants? Featuring the voices of people combating domestic and sexual violence on the front lines and behind the scenes, Patchwork threads together stories from over 25 years of federally funded efforts to serve victims and hold offenders accountable.
Email sign up: Get an alert when a new podcast is available
Podcasts
December 15, 2020
Regina Lombardo leads the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. After three decades in the field, Lombardo understands the nuances and details that are involved in making a successful firearms-related case against a dangerous criminal, including perpetrators of domestic violence. In this episode, she shares her holistic approach to working with victims of domestic and gun violence and describes how she worked to ensure the resources are available in ATF field offices across the nation. The first woman to lead the ATF, she discusses the role of partnerships with other law enforcement agencies, the critical role of protective orders, and her optimistic view of the ATF’s continued role in preventing firearm violence.
December 7, 2020
Firearms in the hands of abusers dramatically increase the risk of homicide for victims of domestic violence. Law enforcement officers face significant danger when responding to domestic violence emergencies where a gun is present. United States Attorneys are taking a leading role in working to reduce the danger.
In this episode, Erin Nealy Cox, the US Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, describes how she enforces gun laws to keep people safe. She describes how federal prosecution serves victims of domestic violence by eliminating the need for their testimony in court.
November 30, 2020
The presence of a firearm dramatically increases the likelihood of homicide in a domestic violence situation. This heightened danger extends to everyone in the household as well as law enforcement officers who respond to domestic violence calls.
In this episode, David Keck, the Project Director for the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence and Firearms, shares concerns he has heard from the communities he works with in their efforts to ensure that domestic violence abusers do not have firearms. David also frames the definition of mass shootings and how domestic violence situations are often a catalyst for large-scale shootings.
November 17, 2020
Domestic Violence is not limited to physically harming someone. It can include causing psychological harm, emotional distress, and willful intimidation or threats. One in five women will experience domestic violence in their lifetimes. There are hotlines to call, coalitions to help find victim services, and attorneys to file legal actions, but how do we prevent the violence before someone is harmed?
In this episode, Tony Lowden, the Executive Director of the Federal Interagency Council on Crime Prevention and Improving Reentry, shares some of the work that he has done to engage men to help break the cycle of domestic violence and abuse. He offers suggestions for what can be done in families, homes and communities to stop the abuse.
September 18, 2020
On October 15th, 2020, the Department of Justice transitioned to a new grants management system, called JustGrants, with improved grants management abilities in an updated system. Along with the shift to JustGrants, OVW, OJP, and COPS grantees will now receive funding through the Automated Standard Application for Payments, or ASAP. These shifts are a result of feedback from grantees and represent a significant step in modernization for the grant-making components of the Department of Justice.
In this episode, Lauren Nassikas, from OVW, and Maria Swineford, from OJP, share advice and information about the transition to the updated systems.
September 8, 2020
Facial recognition is one of the leading tools that brings missing children home. Dr. David Hunt increases these chances by volunteering his time and expertise to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Working with trained artists, he uses his experience and cranial-metric analyses to predict and illustrate what a missing child might look like from a few years to a few decades later.
In this episode, Dr. Hunt, a recipient of the Attorney General’s Citizen Volunteer Service Award, shares examples of his work, as well as predictions of how the field will progress and shares what skills future forensic anthropologists might need to have to continue this important work.
August 31, 2020
Applying for federal funding can be a difficult task. Sometimes, questions arise about what can and cannot be funded and in many cases, those applying for funding do not have a professional grant writer within reach. In this episode, Carrie Mitchell, a program specialist from the Office on Violence Against Justice, describes common mistakes that she encounters while reviewing grants and offers tips on successfully submitting a strong and compelling application.
August 24, 2020
The global coronavirus pandemic, COVID-19, has shifted how coalitions and advocacy workers help victims of domestic violence. In this episode, Deborah DeBare, the Senior Deputy Director at the National Network to End Domestic Violence, discusses how those in the field are adapting to meet the needs of survivors of domestic violence.
August 24, 2020
Acting Director for the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) Laura Rogers speaks with Bob Davis, the Communications Officer at OVW, about stalking and how the office works to educate and provide resources to prevent it and support victims.
August 19, 2020
One challenge in serving victims of sex trafficking lies in that they sometimes do not realize that they are being trafficked to begin with. In this episode, Beth Hassett, the CEO of WEAVE, shares how her organization works to serve survivors of sex trafficking.
