Skip to main content
Press Release

Domestic Violence Awareness Month featured grant and organization

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Indiana
Vanderburgh County Superior Court and its collaborative partners awarded over $409,000

Evansville – United States Attorney Josh J. Minkler announced today’s Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women featured grant and grant recipient.

“To date, we have been able to help 142 victims and their children have peace of mind with safe supervised visits and exchanges,” said Judge Mary Margaret Lloyd, of the Vanderburgh Superior Court. “More than 1,600 victims have obtained help with their protection orders, navigating the court system, and obtaining referrals to local agencies to give them further aid. Twenty- seven family cases have had guardian ad litems represent the child of a domestic violence victim in court on custody or visitation issues. Our appreciation to the Justice for Families Program for allowing us to continue our work providing these services to the children and victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual abuse and stalking is immense.”

Justice for Families Program 

The Grants to Support Families in the Justice System program (referred to as the Justice for Families Program) was authorized in the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 to improve the response of the civil and criminal justice system to families with a history of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, or in cases involving allegations of child sexual abuse.

 The program supports the following activities for improving the capacity of courts and communities to respond to families affected by the targeted crimes: court-based and court-related programs; supervised visitation and safe exchange by and between parents; training for people who work with families in the court system; civil legal services; and the provision of resources in juvenile court matters. Projects supported by the Justice for Families Program are those that focus on keeping victims and their children safe from further abuse and holding offenders accountable.

Vanderburgh County Superior Court and its Collaborative Partners

Vanderburgh County Superior Court and its collaborative partners, Parenting Time Center, Albion Fellows Bacon Center, YWCA, CASA, Holly’s House, Amends Program of Evansville, Legal Aid Society of Evansville, and multiple law enforcement agencies, will use this continuation award to:

  1. Continue to provide supervised child visitation and safe exchange services to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual abuse, and stalking;
  2. Continue to provide services of the Protective Order Assistance Office to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual abuse, and stalking;
  3. Continue to provide trained guardian ad litems to represent the children of domestic violence victims in their visitation and custody cases; and
  4. To provide training within the civil justice system to gain awareness of victim safety issues and barriers that victims face when accessing the justice system.                                                                                                                          

 

For more information about this grant, contact the Office on Violence Against Women at 202/307-6026 and ask for the Outreach and Communications Division.

Updated October 14, 2020

Topics
Access to Justice
Community Outreach
Grants