The rural domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking program (rural program) is authorized by 34 U.S.C. 12341

The U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) awarded a $950,000 Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Assistance Program (CFDA 16.589) grant to the County of Jefferson, Oregon. The 36-month project will implement a comprehensive approach to address domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in rural Jefferson County. Key activities include: 1) developing a multi-disciplinary domestic violence response team, 2) conducting annual law enforcement protocol training, 3) implementing a domestic violence fatality review process, 4) strengthening victim services through a full-time bilingual advocate and a sub-awarded non-profit advocate, 5) enhancing offender accountability through a part-time investigator and language interpreters, and 6) strengthening the coordinated community response to sexual assault and strangulation. The project will focus on improving victim safety and well-being, increasing awareness, and preventing these crimes in the rural community.

Rural program funds are used to support programs that: 1) identify, assess, and appropriately respond to child, youth, and adult victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking in rural communities by encouraging collaboration among victim service providers, law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, courts, other criminal justice service providers, human and community service providers, educational institutions, and health care providers; 2) establish and expand victim services in rural communities to child, youth, and adult victims; 3) increase the safety and well-being of women and children in rural communities, by (a) dealing directly and immediately with domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking; and (B) creating and implementing strategies to increase awareness and prevent these crimes; and 4) develop, expand, implement, and improve the quality of sexual assault forensic medical examination or sexual assault nurse examiner programs. Grantees must use at least one of the following strategies in implementing their projects: 1) implement, expand, and establish cooperative efforts and projects among law enforcement officers, prosecutors, victim service providers, and other related parties to investigate and prosecute incidents of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking; 2) provide treatment, counseling, advocacy, legal assistance, and other long-term and short-term victim and population specific services to adult and minor victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in rural communities; 3) work in cooperation with the community to develop education and prevention strategies directed toward such issues; 4) develop, enlarge, or strengthen programs addressing sexual assault; and 5) develop programs and strategies that focus on the specific needs of victims of who reside in remote rural and geographically isolated areas. Through this continuation OVW rural program project, jefferson county, oregon, in partnership with jefferson county district attorneys office, jefferson county victim assistance program, jefferson county adult community corrections, jefferson county sheriffs office, madras police department, saving grace, ST. Charles madras, rapid save investigation, and best care treatment services, will implement the jefferson county rural domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking project. This project addresses the following purposes areas: 1, 2, and 4 for rural jefferson county in oregon. Specific activities will include: 1) developing a multi-disciplinary domestic violence enhanced response team will review and evaluate high-risk cases to identify barriers in coordinated response and behaviors that could lead to escalation of crimes to sexual assault and/or strangulation; 2) conducting annual law enforcement protocol training; 3) implementing domestic violence fatality review protocol; 4) strengthening victim services by employing a full-time governmental bilingual advocate and a sub-awarded non-profit saving grace advocate to provide victim services, hotline assistance, awareness activities, protection orders services, criminal justice advocacy, and emergency services to victims in crisis; 5) strengthening offender accountability through a part-time investigator to complete comprehensive investigations, on-call spanish and american sign language crime scene interpreters to interpret witness statements, and collaborating with kids center domestic violence child witness program (DVCWP) by completing DVCWP training and providing in caregiver and victim support through the interviewing and investigation process; 6) strengthening coordinated community response to sexual assault and strangulation through attendance of OVW-sponsored training in sexual assault and strangulation; and 7) updating sexual assault packet and brochure for victims and survivors of sexual assault. This project will address priority area 2: prevent and end sexual assault. The timing for performance of this award is 36 months.