On Thursday, U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright announced a grant in the amount of $450,000 has been awarded to the County of Schuylkill by the Department of Justice (DOJ) through the Office on Violence Against Women’s Improving Criminal Justice Responses grant program.
The County of Schuylkill, in collaboration with the Twenty-First Judicial Court, Schuylkill County's Sheriff’s Department, District Attorney's Office, Probation, and Schuylkill Women in Crisis, will use this award to sustain activities through the Schuylkill County Increasing Victim Safety through Access to Justice Project.
“When the many parts of our justice system and community partners work together, we can do more to protect people from abusers and predators as they receive services, thereby helping them to live healthy lives,” Rep. Cartwright said. “I am pleased such an important federal investment is being made and that Schuylkill County will have the support they need to keep people safe.”
The Improving Criminal Justice Responses program enhances victim safety and offender accountability in cases of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking by encouraging jurisdictions to work collaboratively with community partners to identify problems and share ideas that will result in effective responses to these crimes. An integral component of the program is the creation and enhancement of a coordinated community response that includes criminal justice agencies, victim service providers, and community organizations. This program is managed through the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), which provides federal leadership in developing the national capacity to reduce violence against women and administer justice for and strengthen services to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.