The improving criminal justice responses to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking grant program is authorized by 34 U.S.C. 10461-10465 and implemented through regulations at…

This is a Project Grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women (CFDA 16.590 - Grants to Encourage Arrest Policies and Enforcement of Protection Orders Program) in the amount of $624,938 to the Town of Dartmouth Town Hall, Office of Development / Grants Division. The grant will fund activities to continue improving the criminal justice system's response to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in Bristol County, Massachusetts. Key initiatives include:

1. Developing a multi-disciplinary, county-wide training curriculum for law enforcement and partner agencies to strengthen the existing domestic violence high-risk teams.
2. Expanding the availability of civilian police advocates to increase victim support, with a focus on serving LGBTQIA+ victims and those with accessibility needs.
3. Creating a survey to solicit anonymous victim feedback on experiences with law enforcement, prosecutors, and probation/parole to inform improvements.
4. Establishing a multi-disciplinary team and providing training on responding to domestic violence involving the LGBTQIA+ community and utilizing trauma-informed approaches.

The Town of Dartmouth Town Hall is partnering with the New Bedford Women's Center, Bristol County District Attorney's Office, and South Coast LGBTQ Network, Inc. to implement the project activities across the Bristol County region.

The improving criminal justice responses to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking grant program is authorized by 34 U.S.C. 10461-10465 and implemented through regulations at 28 C.F.R. Part 90, subpart d. The program fosters victim safety and offender accountability in cases of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking by encouraging state, local, and tribal governments and courts to work collaboratively with community partners to identify problems and share ideas that will result in effectively responding to these crimes. An integral component of this program is the development, revitalization, or enhancement of a coordinated community response that brings together criminal justice agencies, victim services providers, and community-based organizations that respond to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The grantee, in collaboration with its project partners, will use this continuation award to continue improving the jurisdictions criminal justice system response to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Specifically, the project will: 1) implement activities focused on victim safety and offender accountability; 2) participate in mandated OVW training and technical assistance; and 3) work toward sustainability of project activities. Through this continuation grants to improve the criminal justice response project, the town of dartmouth town hall, in partnership with new bedford womens center, the bristol county district attorneys office, and the south coast lgbtq network, INC., will implement a project addressing the following purpose areas: 3 and 22. This project will be enacted throughout the county of bristol. The project will address priority area: 4. Specific activities will include the following: 1) the creation of multi-disciplinary, county-wide training curriculum for law enforcement and partnering agencies staff to strengthen and further develop the existing domestic violence high risk teams by increasing membership outside of the traditional criminal justice members and by ensuring that every police department is represented at the high-risk team meetings; 2) continued support and expansion in the availability of civilian police advocates to increase victim support with a focus on increasing services to victims of domestic violence who are lgbtq+ and/or have accessibility needs; 3) review of various surveys regarding victim experiences with law enforcement, prosecutors, and probation/parole to inform the creation of a survey to be completed anonymously by any victim served who consents to participate in order to improve police and criminal justice response through the input of victims; and 4) creation of a multi-disciplinary team and their training, provided by OVW's law enforcementtraining and technical assistance consortium, onresponding to domestic violence involving members of the lgbtqia+ community, andutilizing a trauma informed response to all domestic violence calls.