The enhancing investigations and prosecution of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking (EIP) encourages law enforcement agencies and/or prosecutors offices to expand and…

The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office (Suffolk County D A) received a $500,000 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) under the Grants to Encourage Arrest Policies and Enforcement of Protection Orders Program (CFDA 16.590). The grant, with a performance period from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2027, supports two key activities: 1) hiring a data analyst to enhance the office's capacity to investigate domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking cases by improving the processing and interpretation of digital evidence, and 2) hiring a bilingual prosecution-based investigator to enhance the prosecution of these types of cases. The grant aims to improve the criminal justice response, support victim safety and autonomy, hold offenders accountable, and promote community trust, aligning with the OVW's priority areas of access to justice and services for sexual assault survivors.

The enhancing investigations and prosecution of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking (EIP) encourages law enforcement agencies and/or prosecutors offices to expand and improve their capacity to effectively investigate and/or prosecute domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, and in so doing, support victim safety and autonomy, hold offenders accountable, and promote agency trust within the surrounding community. The EIP project by the suffolk county district attorneys office, in partnership with casa myrna, to implement in suffolk county, MA addresses EIP purpose areas: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. Additionally, this project addresses OVW priority area 1: access to justice; priority area 2: services to sexual assault survivors. Specific activities include: 1) hire a data analyst to increase investigatory capacity to obtain, document, and interpret digital evidence; and 2) hire a bilingual prosecution-based investigator to enhance the prosecution of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking cases.