Dec. 6, 2010
Ohio Delegation Attends National Domestic Violence Summit
An Ohio delegation that attended a national domestic violence summit last week expressed a need to improve understanding among Ohio courts of the availability of Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) federal grant funds designated for court-based programs.
Teams of court leaders and executive agency personnel that administer the grants representing 37 states and the District of Columbia participated in the summit hosted by the National Center for State Courts.
Attending from Ohio were Lorain County Domestic Relations Court Judge Debra L. Boros, Supreme Court of Ohio Domestic Violence Program Manager Diana Ramos-Reardon and Office of Criminal Justice Services (OCJS) Chief Policy Adviser Nicole Scozzie and Assistant Grants Chief Rickeya Franklin.
Federal law requires that states and territories participating in the VAWA STOP (Services Training Officers Prosecutors) Grant Program set aside 5 percent of funds for programs operated by courts or that benefit court services to domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and teen dating violence victims and offenders. OCJS administers this formula grant in Ohio. Nationally, projects supported by STOP grants include judicial training programs, technical assistance to courts on domestic violence and related matters, coordination of efforts, creation of standardized forms and protocols, and protection order data tracking systems.
Judge Boros remarked about the informative nature of the summit and how it “allowed us to acquire a deeper understanding about VAWA and marked the beginning of many more conversations we’ll have in the state to leverage resources for local courts.”
Ohio’s team also discussed how the Supreme Court and OCJS could work collaboratively to ensure set aside money benefits Ohio courts and different projects that could be funded to promote victim safety and offender accountability.
Contact: Chris Davey or Bret Crow, 614.387.9250.