Violence Against Women (VAWA) STOP

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The Government of the United States Virgin Islands through the Law Enforcement Planning Commission
will utilize grant funds under the US Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women
(VAWA) STOP Formula Grant to support programs designed to address services to female victims of
violent crime (to include domestic violence, sexual abuse, stalking and dating violence) thus benefiting
the local court, law enforcement and prosecution. Programs should seek to implement comprehensive
strategies to address violence against women, which are sensitive to the needs and safety of the victims
and hold offenders accountable for their crime.

The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), a component of the U.S. Department of Justice, provides
national leadership and support in developing the nation’s capacity to reduce violence against women
through the implementation of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Created in
1994 (reauthorized and amended in 2000, 2005 and 2013), OVW administers financial and technical
assistance to communities across the country that are developing programs, policies, and practices
aimed at ending domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

Since its inception, OVW has supported a multifaceted approach to responding to these crimes through
implementation of grant programs authorized by VAWA. By forging state, local and tribal
partnerships among police, prosecutors, judges, victim advocates, health care providers, faith leaders
and others, OVW grants help provide victims with the protection and services they need to pursue
safe and healthy lives, while improving communities’ capacity to hold offenders accountable for their
crimes.

The Services*Training*Officers*Prosecutors (STOP) Violence Against Women Formula Grant
Program, awarded to states and territories, enhances the capacity of local communities to develop and
strengthen effective law enforcement and prosecution strategies to combat violent crimes against women
and to develop and strengthen victim services in cases involving violent crimes against women.

The VAWA STOP Program provides states and units of local governments with critical funding
necessary to support a range of program areas including victim services, law enforcement,
prosecution and court programs.

OVW PRIORITY AREAS
The emphasis of the STOP Formula Grant Program continues to be on the implementation
of comprehensive strategies addressing violence against women that are sensitive to the immediate and
long-term needs and safety of victims and hold offenders accountable for their crimes. States and
territories should seek to carry out these strategies by forging lasting partnerships between the
victim advocacy organizations and the criminal justice system to respond vigorously to sexual assault,
domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking crimes.

VAWA STOP PURPOSE AREAS
STOP Formula Program funds are intended for use by states and territories; state, local, and tribal courts
(including juvenile courts); Indian tribal governments; units of local government; and nonprofit,
nongovernmental victim services programs, including community-based organizations. Grants and

subgrants supported through this Program must meet one or more of the following statutory purpose
areas.1 [42 U.S.C. § 3796gg(b)] Changes and new purposes areas from VAWA 2013 are highlighted in bold below.

In funds under the STOP Formula Grant Program may be used for the following purposes:

1. Training law enforcement officers, judges, other court personnel, and prosecutors to more effectively
identify and respond to violent crimes against women, including the crimes of sexual assault, domestic
violence, stalking, and dating violence, including the use of nonimmigrant status under
subparagraphs (U) and (T) of section 101(a)(15) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8
U.S.C. 1101(a));

2. Developing, training, or expanding units of law enforcement officers, judges, other court personnel,
and prosecutors specifically targeting violent crimes against women, including the crimes of sexual
assault, dating violence, stalking, and domestic violence;

3. Developing and implementing more effective police, court, and prosecution policies, protocols, orders,
and services specifically devoted to preventing, identifying, and responding to violent crimes against
women, including the crimes of sexual assault, dating violence, stalking, and domestic violence, as
well as the appropriate treatment of victims;

4. Developing, installing, or expanding data collection and communication systems, including
computerized systems, linking police, prosecutors, and courts or for the purpose of identifying,
classifying, and tracking arrests, protection orders, violations of protection orders, prosecutions, and
convictions for violent crimes against women, including the crimes of sexual assault, dating violence,
stalking, and domestic violence;

5. Developing, enlarging, or strengthening victim services and legal assistance programs, including
sexual assault, domestic violence, stalking, and dating violence programs, developing or improving
delivery of victim services to underserved populations, providing specialized domestic violence court
advocates in courts where a significant number of protection orders are granted, and increasing
reporting and reducing attrition rates for cases involving violent crimes against women, including
crimes of sexual assault, dating violence, stalking, and domestic violence;

6. Developing, enlarging, or strengthening programs addressing the needs and circumstances of Indian
tribes in dealing with violent crimes against women, including the crimes of sexual assault, dating
violence, stalking, and domestic violence;

7. Supporting formal and informal statewide, multidisciplinary efforts, to the extent not supported by
State funds, to coordinate the response of state law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, courts, victim
services agencies, and other state agencies and departments, to violent crimes against women,
including the crimes of sexual assault, domestic violence, stalking, and dating violence;

8. Training of sexual assault forensic medical personnel examiners in the collection and preservation of
evidence, analysis, prevention, and providing expert testimony and treatment of trauma related to
sexual assault;

9. Developing, enlarging, or strengthening programs to assist law enforcement, prosecutors, courts, and
others to address the needs and circumstances of older and disabled women who are victims of
domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, or sexual assault, including recognizing, investigating,
and prosecuting instances of such violence or assault and targeting outreach and support, counseling,
and other victim services to such older and disabled individuals;

10. Providing assistance to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in immigration matters;
11. Maintaining core victim services and criminal justice initiatives, while supporting complementary new
initiatives and emergency services for victims and their families;

12. Supporting the placement of special victim assistants (to be known as “Jessica Gonzales Victim
Assistants”) in local law enforcement agencies to serve as liaisons between victims of domestic
violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking and personnel in local law enforcement agencies
in order to improve the enforcement of protection orders. Jessica Gonzales Victim Assistants shall
have expertise in domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking and may undertake the
following activities—
    a) Developing, in collaboration with prosecutors, courts, and victim service providers, standardized
response policies for local law enforcement agencies, including the use of evidence-based
indicators to assess the risk of domestic and dating violence homicide and prioritize
dangerous or potentially lethal cases;

    b) Notifying persons seeking enforcement of protection orders as to what responses will be provided
by the relevant law enforcement agency;

    c) Referring persons seeking enforcement of protection orders to supplementary services (such as
emergency shelter programs, hotlines, or legal assistance services); and

    d) Taking other appropriate action to assist or secure the safety of the person seeking enforcement of
a protection order.

13. Providing funding to law enforcement agencies, victim services providers, and state, tribal, territorial,
and local governments (which funding stream shall be known as the Crystal Judson Domestic Violence
Protocol Program) to promote—

(A) the development and implementation of training for local victim domestic violence service
providers, and to fund victim services personnel, to be known as “Crystal Judson Victim
Advocates,” to provide supportive services and advocacy for victims of domestic violence
committed by law enforcement personnel;

(B) the implementation of protocols within law enforcement agencies to ensure consistent and
effective responses to the commission of domestic violence by personnel within such agencies

such as the model policy promulgated by the International Association of Chiefs of Police
(“Domestic Violence by Police Officers: A Policy of the IACP, Police Response to Violence
Against Women Project” July 2003); and

(C) the development of such protocols in collaboration with state, tribal, territorial and local victim
services providers and domestic violence coalitions.

Note: Any law enforcement, state, tribal, territorial, or local government agency receiving funding under
the Crystal Judson Domestic Violence Protocol Program shall, on an annual basis, receive additional
training on the topic of incidents of domestic violence committed by law enforcement personnel from
domestic violence and sexual assault nonprofit organizations and, after a period of two years, provide a
report of the adopted protocol to the Department, including a summary of progress in implementing such
protocol. As such, states and territories are responsible for ensuring that each subgrantee receiving funds
under this purpose area will receive the required annual training. States are also responsible for ensuring
that subgrantees submit their two-year report to the Department. States and territories must notify and
provide OVW with a list of subgrantee recipients awarded STOP funds under the Crystal Judson Domestic
Violence Protocol Program.

14. Developing and promoting state, local, or tribal legislation and policies that enhance best
practices for responding to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

15. Developing, implementing, or enhancing Sexual Assault Response Teams, or other similar
coordinated community responses to sexual assault.

16. Developing and strengthening policies, protocols, best practices, and training for law
enforcement agencies and prosecutors relating to the investigation and prosecution of sexual
assault cases and the appropriate treatment of victims.

17. Developing, enlarging or strengthening programs addressing sexual assault against men,
women, and youth in correctional or detention settings.

18. Identifying and conducting inventories of backlogs of sexual assault evidence collection kits and
developing protocols and policies for responding to and addressing such backlogs, including
protocols and policies for notifying and involving victims.

19. Developing, enlarging, or strengthening programs and projects to provide services and
responses to male and female victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or
stalking, whose ability to access traditional services and responses is affected by their sexual
orientation or gender identity, as defined in section 249(c) of title 18, United States Code.

20. Developing, enhancing, or strengthening prevention and educational programming to address
domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking, with not more than 5 percent of
the amount allocated to a state to be used for this purpose.

DELIVERY OF LEGAL ASSISTANCE
Any grantee or subgrantee providing legal assistance with funds awarded under this program shall certify
in writing that:
(1) any person providing legal assistance with funds through this program
    (A) has demonstrated expertise in providing legal assistance to victims of domestic violence,
dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking in the targeted population; or
    (B) (i) is partnered with an entity or person that has demonstrated expertise described in
subparagraph (A); and
          (ii) has completed, or will complete, training in connection with domestic violence, dating
violence, sexual assault or stalking and related legal issues, including training on evidence-based
risk factors for domestic and dating violence homicide;
(2) any training program conducted in satisfaction of the requirement of paragraph (1) has been or will be
developed with input from and in collaboration with a tribal, state, territorial, or local domestic violence,
dating violence, sexual assault or stalking victim service provider or coalition, as well as appropriate tribal,
state, territorial, and local law enforcement officials;
(3) any person or organization providing legal assistance with funds through this program has informed
and will continue to inform state, local, or tribal domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or
stalking programs and coalitions, as well as appropriate state and local law enforcement officials of their
work; and
(4) the grantee’s organizational policies do not require mediation or counseling involving offenders and
victims physically together, in cases where sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, or child
sexual abuse is an issue.

This certification shall take the form of a letter, on letterhead, signed and dated by the authorizing official.
States will be responsible to ensure that subgrantees meet the requirement. States should not award funds
for legal assistance to any subgrantee that has not submitted a sufficient letter.

UNALLOWABLE SERVICES, ACTIVITIES
The following is a list of activities that are unallowable and cannot be supported by OVW STOP
Formula Grant Program funding:
• Lobbying (except with explicit statutory authorization)
• Fundraising
• Purchase of real property
• Construction
• Physical modifications to buildings, including minor renovations (such as painting or carpeting)

ACTIVITIES THAT COMPROMISE VICTIM SAFETY AND RECOVERY
The overall purpose of the program is to enhance victim safety and offender accountability, therefore grant
funds may not be used to support activities that compromise victim safety and recovery. The following
activities have been found to jeopardize victim safety, deter, or prevent physical or emotional healing for
victims, or allow offenders to escape responsibility for their actions:
• Procedures or policies that exclude victims from receiving safe shelter, advocacy services,
counseling, and other assistance based on their actual or perceived age, immigration status, race,
religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, mental health condition, physical health condition,
criminal record, work in the sex industry, relationship to the perpetrator, or the age and/or gender
of their children;
• Procedures or policies that compromise the confidentiality of information and privacy of persons
receiving OVW-funded services;
• Offering perpetrators the option of entering pre-trial diversion programs or placing batterers in
anger management programs;
• Requiring mediation or counseling for couples as a systemic response to domestic violence or
sexual assault, or in situations in which child sexual abuse is alleged;
• Requiring victims to report sexual assault, stalking, or domestic violence crimes to law
enforcement or forcing victims to participate in criminal proceedings;
• Relying on court-mandated batterer intervention programs that do not use the coercive power of
the criminal justice system to hold batterers accountable for their behavior; or
• Supporting policies or engaging in practices that impose restrictive conditions to be met by the
victim in order to receive services (e.g., attending counseling, seeking an order of protection);

GRANT MONITORING
LEPC will monitor each subaward through the submittal of monthly or quarterly reports. LEPC will also
conduct announced and unannounced on- site visits and monitoring visits to sub-grantees. For the
announced monitoring visits, the sub-grantee may be required to present additional, pertinent information
that will allow the LEPC to conduct a constructive, proficient and successful visit.

MANAGEMENT CONTROL OF THE PROGRAM
The sub-grantee has complete management responsibility for this award. While the LEPC staff may be
consulted for their expertise, they will not be directly responsible for the selection of vendors, nor will
they be directly involved in the expenditure and payment of funds.
The subgrantee must provide services to crime victims, at no charge, through the VAWA-funded project.

CONFERENCE PLANNING AND EXPENDITURE LIMITATIONS
Applicants should be aware of all applicable laws, regulations, policies and guidance (including specific
cost limits, prior approval and reporting requirements, where applicable) governing the use of federal
funds for expenses related to conferences (which is defined to include meetings, retreats,
seminars, symposiums, training and other similar events), including the provision of food and/or
beverages at such events, and costs of attendance at such events. Information on pertinent laws,
regulations, policies and guidance is available at http://www.ovw.usdoj.gov/grantees.html.
Applicants should also be aware of the following specific restrictions on conference planning and
expenditure limitations:
• Cost of Logistical Conference Planning
• Cost of Programmatic Conference Planning
• Conference Space and Audio-Visual Equipment and Services
• Prohibition on Trinkets at Conferences
• Entertainment at Conferences
• Food and Beverages at Conferences
Food and Beverage/Costs for Refreshments and Meals
Generally, food and beverage costs are not allowable, and under no circumstances may OVW funding be
used to supply food and/or beverages during refreshment breaks.
Civil Rights Compliance
Federal laws that apply to recipients of financial assistance from the Department of Justice prohibit
discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, or disability in funded programs
or activities, not only in employment but also in the delivery of services or benefits. A federal law also
prohibits recipients from discriminating on the basis of age in the delivery of services or benefits.
In OVW-funded programs, recipients of financial assistance from OVW are prohibited from
discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, either in employment or in the delivery
of services of benefits.

STAFFING REQUIREMENTS
Organizations must ensure that all USDOJ’s funded program staff has adequate time to execute these
duties. LEPC will evaluate the management plan, including staffing, based on the fundamentals to
implement the project and adhere to program requirements. LEPC reserves the right to require changes
based on this review.

PROGRAM DIRECTOR
The program director will be mainly responsible for managing and implementing the program and budget
described in the approved application to ensure that the entity meets its responsibilities to LEPC under the
sub-grant agreement in a timely manner. This person will be responsible for the daily operation,
coordination and delivery of services at their respective program sites. The program director will be
responsible to ensure the required progress and fiscal reports are completed and submitted timely to LEPC.