U.S. Attorney Trent Shores Announces $1.6 Million in Grants to Improve Services for Crime Victims in Northern District of Oklahoma

 U.S. Attorney Trent Shores today announced more than $1.6 million in Department of Justice grants are being awarded to improve services for crime victims in the Northern District of Oklahoma. The grants, awarded by the Department’s Office of Justice Programs, are part of $144 million distributed throughout the United States to enhance the response to victims of crime.

“The Department of Justice is steadfast in its commitment to protecting public safety and bringing justice to those who have been victimized,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “The investments we are making today will support service providers as they work to secure the legal rights of victims and put survivors of criminal acts on the road to recovery.”

The awards made to organizations in the Northern District of Oklahoma will advance the use of technology, improve community preparedness and law enforcement training and provide emergency and transitional shelter to assist victims of crime. Programs will also support victims of child abuse and fund research projects related to perpetrators and victims of elder abuse. Approximately $64.3 million was awarded under Office for Victims of Crime grant programs; over $54.1 million was awarded under Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention programs; over $19.9 million was awarded under Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking grant programs; and nearly $5.7 million was awarded under two National Institute of Justice grant programs.

“My hope is that these grants will support and enable our law enforcement partners and victim advocates to fulfill their public safety mission. The collective work they do is critical for crime victims and their families,” said U.S. Attorney Trent Shores. “These grants will provide restorative resources for victims of crime and their families so that they may begin the healing process and reclaim their lives. Funding is also being awarded to strengthen sex offender registration programs.”

“As lockdowns and lawlessness fuel crime in America’s homes and communities, more people are vulnerable to victimization and those who have been victimized face new hurdles,” said OJP Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan. “The Office of Justice Programs is committed to giving our victim service partners the tools they need to better serve their clients and protect victims’ rights.”

The following organizations in the Northern District of Oklahoma received funding to enhance their responses to victims of crime:

Receiving grants for emergency shelter and transitional housing for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or stalking and their companion animals is:

• Delaware Tribe of Indians: $399,989

The Adam Walsh Act program provides funding to assist jurisdictions with developing or enhancing programs designed to implement the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. SORNA was enacted to provide a comprehensive set of minimum standards for sex offender registration and notification in the United States.  In the Northern District of Oklahoma, the following entities are receiving funding for this program:

• Muscogee (Creek) Nation: $399,985
• Miami Tribe of Oklahoma: $213,755
• Oklahoma Department of Corrections: $399,047

Finally, the Modoc Tribe of Oklahoma received $250,000 in continuation funding to provide services to Tribal children and youth who are victimized as the result of the opioid crisis.

Other Oklahoma entities receiving grant funding are the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, and Oklahoma City.

For a complete list of individual grant programs, amounts to be awarded and the jurisdictions that will receive funding, visit: https://www.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh241/files/media/document/ovcvictimsfactsheet.pdf.

In addition to the grants listed above, OJP awarded nearly $101 million in funding to combat human trafficking and provide vital services to trafficking victims throughout the United States. For a complete list of individual grant programs, award amounts and jurisdictions that will receive this funding, visit: https://www.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh241/files/media/document/ovchumantraffickingfactsheet.pdf.

More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.