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 "Domestic violence and sexual assault are two of the worst
crimes, and sadly they still affect thousands of women and children
each year. It’s critical that we invest in programs that help
prevent violence against women. These federal grants will help us
provide better services for crime victims and continue striving to
be a safe state for women," said Blagojevich.
Illinois will receive $15 million in Victims of Crime Act funding
and $3.8 million in Violence Against Women Act funding. Administered
by the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, both federal
programs assist victims of sexual assault, domestic violence and
other violent crimes, and provide funding for child advocacy and
prosecutor-based victim assistance services. Hearing-impaired,
non-English-speaking and senior victims also benefit from programs
supported with this funding.
"These grants help the most vulnerable of our citizens, victims
of sexual assault and domestic violence, many of whom lack access to
and are unfamiliar with services that can enable them to break free
of abusive situations," said Lori G. Levin, executive director of
the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority. "This funding
allows us to provide temporary housing, substance-abuse counseling,
job placement and other types of support individuals need to achieve
independence and end the cycle (of) violence in their lives."
Last year in Illinois, VOCA funding supported 107 service
programs serving an estimated 63,549 victims. VAWA funding supported
71 victim service programs and aided 13,832 victims.
Funds from the Victims of Crime Act, enacted in 1984, are derived
from fines paid by offenders convicted of violating federal laws.
Service agencies receiving VOCA funds provide victims with crisis
intervention, counseling, emergency shelter and transportation, and
with court, medical and personal advocacy. Besides helping victims
of sexual assault and domestic violence, the act ensures funding
availability to aid victims of child abuse and underserved victims
of crime.
Funds also support victim advocacy programs provided by member
agencies of the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence and
Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault, and services to survivors
of homicide victims, victims of drunken driving accidents, and
elderly and disabled victims of violent crime.
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 The Violence Against Women Act funds improvements in the criminal
justice system’s response to women and child victims of sexual
assault and domestic violence and implementation of measures that
document and assess that response. The act also calls for extending
services to those who have little or no access to victim services,
and funding is targeted to rural populations. Transitional housing
programs and programs providing job training and referrals,
literacy, and public assistance, including crisis center counseling
for domestic violence victims, also are supported with VAWA funding.
In recent years, VAWA funding has supported establishment and
adoption of protocols for domestic violence and sexual assault
response teams. Teams include police, prosecutors, circuit clerks,
probation officers and service providers working together to improve
the quality of evidence collection, initial response to the crime,
victim interviews and victim referrals. Kankakee, McLean, Peoria and
St. Clair counties received VAWA funding in 2006 to support
multidisciplinary response team efforts.
"These teams link key players in the criminal justice system so
that victims receive coordinated services in a timely manner," said
Levin. "VAWA grant funding allows us to continue supporting these
innovative collaborations."
VAWA specifies that 25 percent of its funding allocation go to
law enforcement, 25 percent to prosecution, 30 percent to service
providers and 5 percent to courts, with 15 percent to be distributed
at the state’s discretion. The Illinois Criminal Justice Information
Authority uses statistical data, surveys of the criminal justice and
victim service agencies, and an Ad Hoc Committee on Violence Against
Women to determine VAWA funding priorities.
New research on the criminal justice system’s response to
domestic violence has led to a multiagency review of the Illinois
Model Domestic Violence Protocol, coordinated by the Illinois
Criminal Justice Information Authority. First drafted in 1996, the
new version will feature best practices for law enforcement,
prosecutors and judges in dealing with domestic violence. The
updated protocol will be distributed this fall to all law
enforcement agencies, county prosecutors and the judiciary.
[Text from file received from
the
Illinois Office of
Communication and Information] |
