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…

The County of Monroe, New York received a $800,000 Project Grant award from the Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women under the Grants to Encourage Arrest Policies and Enforcement of Protection Orders Program (CFDA 16.590). The funding will be used to enhance the jurisdiction's criminal justice system response to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking over a 3-year period from October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2026. Key activities include:

1. Implementing intensive services to high-risk homes such as warrant service, orders of protection assistance, house checks, and offender arrest for protection order violations, along with referrals to victim resources.
2. Providing civil/legal services including legal representation and referrals to immigration and housing programs.
3. Delivering crisis intervention, victim advocacy, and probation supervision services to support victims and hold offenders accountable.
4. Collaborating with partners to identify and address service gaps for the LGBTQ community.

The project involves coordination between the County of Monroe, the Monroe County Office of Probation, Rochester Police Department, Legal Aid Society of Rochester, Willow Domestic Violence Center, and Planned Parenthood.

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, county of monroe, in partnership with the monroe county office of probation, rochester police department, legal aid society of rochester, willow domestic violence center, and planned parenthood, will implement a project addressing purpose areas: 1, 3, 5, and 19 for monroe county, NY. The project will address priority area 4. Specific activities will include: 1) intensive services to homes with high lethality indicators including serving warrants, assisting in filing orders of protection, performing house checks, arresting offenders for violations of orders of protection, and referring victims to appropriate resources; 2) civil/legal services such as legal representation and referrals to other civil programs such as immigration and housing; 3) victim assistance services through the willow court advocate in conjunction with mobile advocates; 4) crisis intervention services including court accompaniment, transportation, housing, resource access, advocacy and support services; 5) victim advocacy services through restore including short-term counseling/support, forensic medical examination and law enforcement accompaniment; 6) probation services including intensified supervision to offenders; 7) provision of information and resources to underserved communities; and 8) collaboration with partners to identify gaps in services to the lgbtq community and develop protocols to provide outreach and information to this community.