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VICTIMS OF CRIME ACT VICTIM ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM 2002 ALASKA STATE WIDE ASSISTANCE REPORT Prepared By: Alaska Department of Public Safety - Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault PO Box 111200 Juneau, AK 99811-1200 tel: (907)465-4356
STATE FUNDING INFORMATION
A. THE ANNUAL AMOUNT ALLOCATED TO THE VICTIM ASSISTANCE PROJECTS: 1. Appropriations $ 6,909,500 2. Criminal Fines and Penalities $ 0 3. Assessments $ 0 4. Other $ 0 TOTAL:$ 6,909,500
B. TOTAL NUMBER OF AGENCIES FUNDED FROM THE FEDERAL GRANT: 12
C. NUMBER OF SUBGRANTS FUNDED FROM THIS FEDERAL GRANT: 13
VICTIM STATISTICS
A. THE NUMBER OF VICTIMS SERVED BY TYPE OF VICTIMIZATION:
NO. OF NO. OF VICTIMS SERVED VICTIMS SERVED 0 1. Child Physical Abuse 0 7. Adults Molested as Children 693 2. Child Sexual Abuse 135 8. Survivors of Homicide Victims 6 3. DUI/DWI Crashes 68 9. Robbery 3,325 4. Domestic Violence 116 10. Assualt 679 5. Adult Sexual Assault 36 11. Other 0 6. Elder Abuse TOTAL: 5,058
B. THE NUMBER OF VICTIMS WHO RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING SERVICES:
NO. OF VICTIMS SERVED 2,768 1. Crisis Counseling 1,747 2. Followup 0 3. Therapy 1,467 4. Group Treatment/Support 1,507 5. Shelter/Safehouse 3,140 6. Information/Referral (in-person) 2,373 7. Criminal Justice Support/Advocacy 0 8. Emergency Financial Assistance 874 9. Emergency Legal Advocacy 410 10. Assistance in filing Compensation Claims 3,615 11. Personal Advocacy 0 12. Telephone contact Informational/Referral 1,486 13. Other TOTAL: 19,387
A. EFFORTS TO PROMOTE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE AID TO CRIME VICTIMS: Victim assistance programs continue to take the lead in community task forces that address victimization issues from domestic violence and sexual assault to other violent crimes. CDVSA continues to co-chair the Violence Against Women Act planning and implementation committee which continues to work to improve the local and state response to victims of crime. AWAIC reports: Our Executive Director attends the domestic violence/sexual assault/child abuse task force. At this meeting, she brings domestic violence issues and concerns to the community task force and facilitates a coordinated community response. The Families Are Community Efforts Program (FACES) is a partnership between AWAIC and the Anchorage Police Department. The police take responsibility for arresting the perpetrators of the violence, and AWAIC agrees to respond to the needs of the victims for support and information. The Domestic Violence Emergency Response Team works with the Anchorage medical community to respond to the needs of domestic violence victims in medical settings. When a victim of domestic abuse is seen by a medical professional and indicates that s/he would like support from AWAIC, a staff member will respond directly to the hospital, emergency room, etc. In this setting, the staff member works with the medical community to provide support, advocacy, and resources for the victim. AWRC reports: Alaska Women’s Resource Center’s Executive Director actively participated in the Women’s Commission that oversaw the Anchorage Police Department 10-year study on domestic violence. The plan is currently being enacted and includes on-going community education and collaboration in regard to victims of crime. The action plan also includes committee work regarding improving victim services. AWRC is active on the Domestic Violence Supreme Court Committee. Bering Sea Women’s Group (BSWG) reports: BSWG staff participates on the Sexual Assault Response Team and Multidisciplinary Team. EWS reports: EWS promotes community awareness of domestic violence and coordinates village workshops and trainings. Interior Alaska Center for Non-Violent Living (IAC) reports: Our agency is involved in the domestic violence task force that meets monthly to discuss ways to increase coordination between agencies, provide for victim safety, and hold perpetrators accountable. This meeting is attended by law enforcement, District Attorney’s Office, social service agencies, members of the community, youth facility personnel, a judge, batterers’ group facilitators, Division of Family and Youth Services, ATAP, and substance abuse programs. Our agency began a system using incident reports to report back to law enforcement when a victim felt “revictimized” by the system. This form has been distributed across the state by Alaska State Troopers as a model to use to interact with law enforcement on issues. SAFE reports: SAFE’s ongoing commitment to collaboration and cooperation is well known statewide and throughout the Bristol Bay region. Programs such as SISTR (Safety in Sobriety Through Recovery Supporters) and our STOP Violence Against Indian Women (in coordination with the Bristol Bay Native Association) have been spotlighted in various national and international conferences as “best practices” models. Village initiatives sparked by the KISS Conferences discussed below have already resulted in positive interventions for victims of crime. In addition to creating specific collaborations and supporting specific programs like the Wellness Initiative and the SISTR/MOMS’S programs, SAFE/Anana’s House staff participate in community coordination on many different fronts. SAFE’s Children Services Coordinator and Anana’s House Manager serve as staff support for the child protection/multidisciplinary team and meet regularly with the Healthy Family Committee and Juvenile Justice Task Force. Anana’s House Administrator serves on the Jakes’ Place Advisory Committee, Chairs the Community Justice Alliance and meets regularly with the Interagency Task Force along with SAFE Program Manager. SAFE staff are also members of the National Health Care Initiative domestic violence training and task force committee with the Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation. The goal of the Initiative is to improve the health care system’s response to domestic violence including assistance to children who are victims/witnesses of violence. Finally SAFE Advocates act as the regional Sexual Assault Response Team coordinators and meet monthly with Division of Family and Youth Services, local and regional law enforcement, the prosecutor, and sexual assault nurse examiner to enhance and improve the investigation and response to sexual abuse cases involving both adults and minors. South Peninsula Women’s Services (SPWS) reports: Law enforcement, the local hospital, as well as other agencies including South Peninsula Women’s Services, Inc. provide services that aid crime victims. Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault task forces work together to provide comprehensive services to such victims. STAR reports: STAR participates in several large efforts to maximize services. Our DV/SA Caucus meets to improve system response to domestic violence and sexual assault. Representatives from victim service agencies, Division of Family and Youth Services, Corrections, law enforcement, municipal government, and the District Attorneys office work to function to the best benefit of victims and society. The Alaska Native Women Sexual Assault Committee meets with its collaborative members on a monthly basis to evaluate how our community can best respond to and support Alaska Native victims of sexual assault. Again, law enforcement, native entities, and victim service agencies, and well as the FBI set goals and develop outreach projects to aid crime victims. In FY02, the Department of Justice awarded the Committee a Victim Service award. Sexual Assault Response Team and Alaska CARES, a child advocacy center, both staff multidisciplinary team meetings on a regular basis, again to evaluate systems response and update on the progress of cases through the criminal justice system. TWC reports: Bethel’s Sexual Assault Response Team meets every two weeks to discuss improving services to victims. The Sexual Assault Response Team also initiated a Child Advocacy Center Working Group, which meets the weeks the Sexual Assault Response Team does not meet to discuss improving services to child victims. TWC also started a Domestic Violence Task Force this summer. USAFV reports: We have good working relationships with law enforcement, Division of Family and Youth Services, the clinic, the churches, the school, and other social service providers and we all refer to each other. Victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and other crimes are referred to USAFV for assistance in applying for violent crimes compensation and other services. USAFV helped to organize and participates in a monthly meeting of local service providers called the Unalaska Interagency Cooperative (UIC), where we meet to discuss concerns and coordinate service delivery. VFJ reports: Victims for Justice networks with many different agencies within our community to provide a full range of victim services. During National Crime Victims Rights Week, VFJ worked in collaboration with: Anchorage Police Department, Anchorage Fire Department, Anchorage SAFE City Program, Homeward Bound, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Standing Together Against Rape, Municipality Prosecutor, Alaska District Attorney, Department of Corrections, Alaska Native Justice Center, Department Of Law, and the FBI to provide a victims Tree Ceremony to honor victims of violent crimes. Also, during that week VFJ collaborated with Mothers Against Drunk Driving to present a candle light ceremony to honor victims of homicide and their survivors. VFJ partners with the Department of Juvenile Justice and Anchorage Probation to provide services to victims of youth offenders. Victims for Justice collaborates with Alaska Native Justice Center, Cook Inlet Tribal Council and Southcentral Foundation in the TYDE program (Tribal Youth Diversion Effort). WISH reports: WISH participates in the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) Community Awareness and FAS Diagnosis Team. Many victims of crime are FAS/FAE. One staff member is on the local FAS diagnostic team as the Parent Navigator. Staff attended weekly meetings at Ketchikan Indian Community on working to reduce hate crimes and incidences of racism. WISH offers weekly support groups for Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse, Survivors of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, and support groups for child victims. WISH staff Attend and participate in quarterly meetings of the Domestic Violence Task Force and monthly meetings of the Sexual Assault Response Team. They also conducted awareness activities and campaigns for Child Abuse Prevention Month, Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Crime Victims’ Week, and Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Presentations in schools and to community groups included the topics of Elder Abuse, Incest, Child Abuse, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, Crime Victim Rights and Violent Crime Victim’s Compensation. Staff traveled to rural communities to provide presentations and technical assistance to improve and assist groups/agencies in providing respectful and sensitive assistance to victims of crime in rural communities that are under served. DOC reports: Our department facilitates interagency victim advisory committees and participates regularly in other agency coalitions on victim issues. We believe in collaborating whenever possible.
B. EFFORTS TAKEN TO SERVE FEDERAL CRIME VICTIMS: Federal crime victims continue to receive services through the local victim assistance programs in their area. Additionally, to continue to enhance quality services provided by victim assistance programs, many crime victim advocates have attended special training that included information on victim issues and services to federal crime victims. Some program staff has even received certification in victim assistance through the university programs, which included components on federal crime victims. AWRC reports: Alaska Women’s Resource Center works with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to coordinate services for federal crime victims. We also serve on victim impact panels and participate in the DV Impact Class with the Adult Probation Field Office. All of the volunteer advocates as well as the AWRC staff working with victims are trained to work with victims in regard to the Full Faith and Credit statutes including advocating for services for them and helping them apply for VCCB. STAR reports: The victim witness coordinator of the FBI calls upon all community resources as appropriate to respond to victims on the federal level. Whether it is victims of sex trafficking, or sexual assault cases that have taken place on federal land, STAR works with the FBI and other entities to ensure advocacy and care for victims. STAR advocates are in contact with the U.S. Attorney’s office and that office has also contacted STAR for referral information. VFJ reports: VFJ serves all victims of violent crime throughout the state of Alaska. VFJ has a working rapport with the local Victims Service Coordinator within the FBI. WISH reports: We have had regular contact with the Victim Witness Coordinator, Jessica Newton, at FBI office in Anchorage regarding assisting federal crime victims. She has been very helpful to staff with information and assistance on a variety of issues. We offered services to bank tellers after a bank robbery here last summer. We have participated in meetings and provided presentation to federal employees at the U.S. Coast Guard base in Ketchikan. We maintain contact with the U.S. Federal Law Enforcement personnel here in Ketchikan. WISH provided oral testimony to the U.S. Commission on Civil rights at public hearing held in August 2001 in Anchorage, Alaska regarding Alaska Native victims of crime and crime victims who are disabled. Staff attended weekly meetings at Ketchikan Indian Community on working to improve and reduce hate crimes and incidences of racism in Ketchikan. DOC reports: We serve all victims of offenders in our legal system. If a victim of a federal crime contacts us for information or assistance we coordinate with federal authorities and resources to assist victims as needed.
C. ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE THE DELIVERY OF VICTIM SERVICES: On the statewide level, the Council office continues to conduct onsite program evaluations of funded programs every two years. The objectives of the evaluation are 1) to assess program compliance with Council’s regulations, grant award conditions, and program objectives; 2) to learn more about the agency’s strengths and needs; and 3) to learn how local systems respond to violent crime. The onsite visits give the Council the opportunity to highlight and share with others any unique resources of local programs, as well as to provide any needed technical assistance to that program. The evaluations also provide better statewide coordination and policy development. AWAIC reports: AWAIC recently instituted a program redesign, which improved the delivery of many victim services. Our education groups are consistent, have strong curricula, and are based on an interactive model. Support groups provide an unstructured and constant link for survivors who have completed education groups and want to continue their group experience. Case managers ensure that every program participant receives an intake within 24 hrs. of arrival at the shelter and maintain ongoing contact around goal setting and challenges. During that initial intake, case managers address information given to the program participant when she first enters the shelter. The information includes dynamics of domestic violence, safety planning, and crime victim compensation. Direct service advocates provide further support by serving as members of the program participant’s case team. Direct service advocates maintain daily contact with every program participant in the shelter. We also recently instituted a service standard guideline regarding legal advocacy. Within 72 hours of entry into the shelter, the legal advocate makes contact with the program participant. The addition of strong groups, case managers, case teams, and service standards regarding contact has significantly improved the delivery of services to our program participants. AWRC reports: Alaska Women’s Resource Center holds memorandums of agreement with several agencies who serve crime victims including AWAIC, STAR, Covenant House, Catholic Social Services, and Victims for Justice. Alaska Women’s Resource Center meets with the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Caucus on a monthly basis to attempt to improve victim services. IAC reports: This year we have spent considerable time developing ways to partner with other agencies to provide substance abuse and mental health services. In addition to this we have added a life skills component to our transitional housing to include assistance in getting a job. The incident reports have made a difference in the interaction between victims and law enforcement. We have seen a decrease in women arrested for DV and an decrease in the amount of incident reports filled out by victims of domestic violence or sexual assault since the beginning of the program. SAFE reports: SAFE pooled some funding and resources to deliver a series of trainings and conferences targeting strategies to empower tribes and local communities to effectively respond when alcohol abuse and domestic violence intersect (which applies to about 90% of domestic violence cases in our area). K.I.S.S. (Keeping It Safe & Sober) is a cooperative venture between SAFE and Jake’s Place (the regional Alcohol/Drug Abuse Treatment program) organized as part of the Community Wellness Movement. SAFE provided two, three-day Conferences in the villages of New Stuyahok and Newhalen (with invitations to neighboring villages to attend) and partial KISS presentations in the villages of Togiak and Clark’s Point. Each village received support and technical assistance in adoption of a common written resolution/ordinance describing expected behavior and in setting up a village intervention and response plan. These interventions include responding with care and support to victims of violence and to perpetrators in a respectful manner that communicates expected standards of behavior and that hold them accountable to those standards. New Stuyahok: New Stuyahok is a large, traditional village located about 60 miles north of Dillingham on the Nushagak River. Considered one of the most progressive tribes in the Bay in community initiatives, New Stuyahok sets the pace for the rest of us. It was here that the second KISS Conference was held in April 2002. Part of the KISS agenda is for tribal members to go through a visioning process leading up to the development of an initial community plan for addressing substance abuse and violence against women and children. In New Stuyahok, tribal members took an aggressive stance including walking through the village in mass, knocking on doors and confronting (firmly and respectfully) known bootleggers, dealers and abusers about their behavior. The community’s actions made statewide news for several days and were followed by similar initiatives in regional villages. Newhalen: The first KISS Conference was held in Newhalen and included residents of the neighboring villages of Nondalton, Iliamna, Kokanok, and Pedro Bay. Newhalen had already adopted a village resolution establishing expected standards of behavior. The Council looks to a group of women and men who participated in the sub-regional trainings and the Bristol Bay Women’s Conference to receive information and to act on intervention/safety services. The woman assigned to the task of meeting with the abusers and the abused is the local pastor’s wife who has since been hired as the part time Village Advocate for Newhalen and Iliamna under a Rural Domestic Violence and Child Victimization Grant awarded to SAFE in FY02. Togiak: SAFE staff gave a daylong KISS presentation during the regular annual Community Wellness Conference with over 100 participants. Togiak has already adopted a resolution/ordinance establishing the expected standards of behavior and recommended actions when those standards are violated. Togiak also has a juvenile court operated by elders. Togiak has it own village (not tribal) police department and the Tribal Council generally defers to their jurisdiction when responding to crimes that are violations of state law. The court cases/trials are usually held in Dillingham. Clark’s Point: SAFE staff were invited to Clark’s Point in May to make a KISS presentation and to assist the village in responding to a case where several women and girls have been sexually molested/assaulted by a local resident. After the presentation and meeting, SAFE helped residents access tribal operations/legal services assistance through BBNA and Alaska State Troopers. The village council adopted specific ordinances and, while assuring due process to the person accused of these crimes, was able to have him removed from the village. SPWS reports: Construction was completed on a ten-bed shelter to be used for emergency housing of battered women and their children. STAR reports: This year, STAR hosted the first Statewide Sexual Assault Conference that drew over 200 folks from around the state to receive additional training and information about sexual assault and abuse. Attendees included law enforcement, educators, advocates, and Division of Family and Youth Services workers. STAR advocates made presentations on Rape Trauma Syndrome, groups and group dynamics, healing through arts and crafts, and legal advocacy and received the highest ratings on evaluations from participants. This interaction also has increased other providers from around the state calling upon STAR as a resource for information, materials, and training for other staff. TWC reports: TWC shelter staff meet once per week to discuss TWC services. TWC staff also participate with the Sexual Assault Response Team and Child Advocacy Center working group. USAFV reports: USAFV has worked hard to maintain visibility in the community, and to maintain close relationships with other service providers so that they feel confident in referring people to us. We have held new and continuing advocate training, and provided all the communities within our region with educational materials. Through a separate grant, USAFV also was able to replace some old furnishings and appliances in the shelter which were badly in need of repair. We have also made some other shelter improvements and purchases of additional educational materials for staff, shelter clients, and the community. VFJ reports: VFJ has recently experienced a major reorganization of staff. This re-org has proven to be a vital injection of energy with in our organization. Our organization has been networking throughout the community and state to “get the word out” about our agency and the services we offer. DOC reports: The funds are used to pay for the personal services of a Criminal Justice Technician (CJT) for the Victim Service Unit. This position is available to assist victims Monday through Friday with questions, concerns, and needs for assistance. A toll-free victim line is available that rings directly to the CJT's desk and includes information on how to access after-hours Victim Information and Notification Everyday (VINE) assistance. The CJT is also able to offer to probation officers assistance in locating and contacting victims when attempting notification. The CJT manages the Victim Impact Class database for the department so that we can continue to evaluate and modify the program. The CJT provides training at various forums on victim notification, victim impact, VINE, and standardization protocols. The CJT has developed Victim Impact Training brochures, Critical Incident Stress Management brochures, victim offender dialogue brochures, and VINE posters. The CJT modifies the Victim Impact scoring grids and evaluation tools for DOC's standardized curriculum as we evaluate efficacy. The CJT collects data for our Critical Incident Stress Management Working Group.
D. WAYS VOCA FUNDS HAVE BEEN USED TO ASSIST CRIME VICTIMS: AWAIC reports: VOCA funds at AWAIC provide salaries for 5.25 Direct Service Advocates. These advocates are an essential part of the Program Services Team whose members provide support, advocacy, referrals, and safe shelter to victims of domestic violence. As a part of our Program Services evaluation, we ask program participants to include comments regarding their experiences working with this team. Below are four of the ways in which the Program Services team have supported domestic violence victims. “Everyone here was great to me and very supportive to me. They respected my feelings and privacy and at my point of departure I felt so much stronger and more confident! Thank all of you so very much!” “This was a great program. I feel I have learned a lot and will use the information I learned in the future. I feel I’m a stronger person and can really take care of myself and children better. I also feel I have more confidence in myself. I think [Moving Forward Case Manager] is a great person. I loved the staff here. They were really helpful and caring. Thank you!” “The AWAIC Shelter was a saving grace for me. Not only did the staff support me while I was there, they helped me and supported me to independence. I pray that I won’t ever have to, but if I ran into someone who needed the shelter, I would feel so great that there is a resource out there where they could get the same help that I needed so desperately.” “The services you and your staff provide are invaluable to women and children. Without your help and the efforts of your staff, I literally do not know where I’d be-all hope and worthwhile efforts made, would have been lost. Equally important, was that AWAIC did not turn me away due to policy criterion. Your staff has been consistently kind, human, approachable-helpful with advice, listening and the challenges of discussing painful issues-not easy for many to do. I cannot adequately thank you for your much needed help-kudos to you and your staff. Thank you! P.S. Somehow I’d like to reciprocate and help others where possible.” AWRC reports: During the past year AWRC served a client named ‘Jane’. Jane came to AWRC for help because her ex-partner had been abusing and terrorizing her family. At AWRC Jane received education on domestic violence and sexual assault as well as support from a counselor. While Jane received services from AWRC the children were receiving counseling services elsewhere which Jane was paying for out of her own pocket. As Jane revealed her story to us it became clear that she was a victim of a crime and a candidate for compensation benefits. She had suffered severe physical and sexual abuse and Jane’s partner had also sexually and physically abused her children. In the meantime Jane’s partner was moved from a prison in the lower 48 to one in Fairbanks and then again was transferred to Anchorage. From jail he continued to terrorize Jane. She also discovered he would be released shortly. She made a decision that it was best to relocate her family. AWRC worked with a victim services agency in another state to set up the move. Jane moved her family. Jane filed for VCCB. She was assured money for counseling services for herself and her 2 children as well as money to help cover the moving costs. Seven months later Jane contacted AWRC seeking further assistance because although she had received some funds for further counseling for the children she had been denied funds for the previous counseling as well as any reimbursement for her relocating expenses. BSWG reports: “Mary” and her four children called our crisis line one night. She had been beaten up and threatened with a gun. The BSWG staff arrange transportation by air and she arrived the next morning. We provided her with legal advocacy, which explained the legal system and provided support for her during that process. “Pat” was in an abusive relationship for five years. Through our support group we were able to provide Pat with the information she needed to leave the abusive relationship The Legal Advocate was able to utilize the Pro Bono Hotline, which can provide legal advice to women who have custody issues. The BSWG advocate worked with a fourteen year old child who had been sexually abused. We were able to provide her and her mother with shelter, until they could find affordable and safe housing. SAFE reports: A mother with four young children from an outlying village had been battered and threatened by her husband when she came to shelter for the first time last year and one of her children had made a disclosure about sexual abuse from the father. The child would not/could not cooperate well with investigating authorities (4 years old), and there was no further action on the disclosure. Shelter Advocates assisted the mother with obtaining a protective order, which included provisions for supervised visitation only. The mother returned to shelter several months later when one of the older children disclosed abuse as well. Partly as a result of the Advocacy assistance this family received, all the children felt safe enough to finally disclose and to work with law enforcement and the Division of Family and Youth Services. The case is currently under intense investigation. A young teenage girl was found passed out on the floor of a steam bath in a local village, heavily under the influence of alcohol. She had apparently been sexually assaulted, likely by the person who had given her the alcohol. She at first refused to cooperate with the police but her mother was able to secure her cooperation when she agreed to bring her into shelter for a few days while the initial investigation and forensic exams were completed. The young woman had been in shelter before with her mother and said she felt safe and supported there. A 48-year-old grandmother was saddened to come to shelter because she wouldn’t be able to put any fish or berries away for the winter. She had to flee her home with her daughter-in-law and grandchildren when her adult son had became increasingly violent and abusive. The time it would take to intervene with him (State troopers to fly in, take him into custody, go through the court process, etc.) before it was safe to go home would make her miss out on the time the fish were running and the salmonberries were ripening. The SAFE shelter has both a subsistence net and a smokehouse so we were able to assist her in harvesting and preserving both fish and berries. The grandmother, daughter-in-law and grandchildren were able to harvest and process (can and smoke) enough salmon to carry them over the winter and they picked nearly 15 gallons of berries for aqutuk (ah-goo’-duck), “Eskimo ice cream”(that they joyfully shared with the other women and children in shelter). In FY02, SAFE initiated the TEEN Tuesday support group as part of our ongoing shelter services. Several of the teens who regularly attend group are survivors of child sexual abuse and one is a survivor of a homicide victim. This was the first time these young people have participated in this kind of group activities or received these kinds of personal advocacy services. The Teen group is currently working toward establishing a youth band and will begin a new video/PSA project next month. SPWS reports: A woman who was a victim of severe domestic violence, and whose one-year-old daughter was being sexually abused by the same batterer, was able to become safe. Advocates were instrumental in recognizing the sex abuse and assisted with Sexual Assault Response Team exams, law enforcement intervention, protective orders and obtaining an attorney. A teenage rape victim received ongoing support and advocacy throughout her crisis and into her experience with the legal system as a crime victim and witness. Advocates assisted in preparing victim impact statements and coordinating with district attorney’s office. We provided transportation to hearings and counseling. A client received support after her 12-year-old son was assaulted by his father, who is now participating in SPWS’s Domestic Violence Intervention Program. The client attends regularly at SPWS’s abuse survivor’s group and has received legal advocacy in the criminal cases and civil protective order. Advocates coordinated services with Community Mental Health and Division of Family and Youth Services for her son. A client who had been in a very abusive relationship was able to establish a new life. The following is a letter she wrote to the editor of the Homer News that was printed in the August 6th, 2002 edition: “After leaving an abusive marriage, I was caught unawares for being a single parent and bread winner. However, because of the love and support from wonderful people I am on the road to not only self-sufficiency by being a positive influence in the world. I want to take a moment to try to thank all of the people who have been so instrumental in my path. My mother, Pat Cahill, who opened her home to me and two small children. She gave me a safe place to heal, feel love, and plan for the future. To the village of Nanwalek, which took my family in and treated us as their own, you are an extension of my own family. Tracy Philpot, with the South Peninsula Women’s Services, for not only her non-judgmental listening and help in raising funds for my continuing education, but also her absolutely wonderful presence of peace and hope. Amy Griffith-Smith, coordinator to Bayside services at Community Mental Health, has been invaluable in our move over to Homer. She is enthusiastic and supportive of my family’s endeavors. She and Russell Huffman have helped my son in adjusting to our past, present, and future. I am honored to know such a vibrant spirit such as Amy. Through her, the resources to buy a bed for my son, which helped him feel that our apartment was home. Women in the Catholic Church opened their doors to clothe myself and my children, they also provided much needed furniture. My friend, Jill Showman has shown me what a strong independent women can do, including a garage sale for a friend from a cell phone! Mary Ellen, the apartment manager, took the time to work with me in getting into our new home. Sue Koltfarber with Workservices has provided me with the resources to be successful in the job market. To all the mothers and fathers, at swimming lessons, who showed me that life goes on wonderfully normal, no matter what tragedies befall. Thank you to all, I could name so many who have shown light, as we all could. My deepest hope is that you all reap the benefits of what you have given.” STAR reports: One client received reimbursement (through Victim Compensation) for therapy services for her daughter following a sexual assault. Following the assault, the teen enrolled in an out of state program. VOCA funds helped defray the costs of her inpatient treatment. STAR was called by a sister program in rural Alaska for assistance in bringing a victim to Anchorage for a Sexual Assault Response Team examination. STAR advocates were able to arrange transportation from the airport for the victim and her mother as well as safe housing at the Safe Haven non-profit motel where STAR maintained a room. STAR advocates were also able to support the victim and her mother through the Sexual Assault Response Team exam and interview as well as see them settled for the night and then safely back to the airport to return home. A STAR advocate has been seeing a victim of sexual abuse for support. The teenager has been working hard to accept what has happened to her and to be able to talk with her mother. After seeing our advocate for four sessions, she had the courage to talk with her mother and told the advocate, “I don’t think I need to come here anymore. At least for a little while.” Are there better words for an advocate to hear? STAR advocates were called to the Sexual Assault Response Team center to support a victim of sexual assault. She had been assaulted at her office that morning. The police called her husband and told him to come to the hospital and that his wife had been sexually assaulted. He told the police that it could not possibly be her – he had just seen her before she left for work. He arrived at the center, and sat by himself with his hands grasping his knees, just trying to hang on and offer support to his wife. A STAR advocate was called to support the husband as well as the victim. TWC reports: A teenage boy who lived in the shelter four to five years ago now participates in TWC’s Teens Acting Against Violence group. VOCA dollars have paid for advocate staff during his time associated with TWC. Today, he volunteers at the agency when not busy with the group. A family who stayed in the shelter for about a month was able to return to their home village after the offender was sentenced. A sexual assault victim recently spoke out at the sentencing of her perpetrator with the help of a TWC advocate. A family which had stayed in the shelter several times in the past few years recently received public housing and is now living independently and abuse-free for the first time. USAFV reports: VOCA monies funded part of our CSC position. The CSC is the person who works the most closely with victims, especially those who choose to or need to come in to the shelter. She provides advocacy, referrals, assistance with accessing resources such as violent crimes compensation, medical assistance, counseling, child support, legal representation, and other services. Attached are copies of some thank you notes we have received from victims (see Attachment A). VFJ reports: VOCA funds allow us to serve many different clients in many different ways. Court accompaniment is one of the vital services that we offer. Attached you will find a note from one such client (see Attachment B). Not only was her daughter killed and she had to experience one trial but the defendant succeeded in petitioning for a retrial. She had to go through another trial 5 years after the first. She was in ill health and asked for the same support that we had provided her during the previous trial. At one point we thought the offender would be acquitted but justice prevailed and he was found guilty again. VFJ continues to notify relatives that are out of state regarding proceedings. VFJ advocates will attend a trial when out of state relatives are unable to, in order to keep them in the loop about proceedings. VFJ also provides assistance with Violent Crime Compensation applications and information. Even when victims do not want other services we offer they always are appreciative of the VCC information. Support groups are offered in our Anchorage office and in rural Alaska villages. The Rural Advocate serves clients both locally and in the outlying rural areas. Attached are the results of a customer satisfaction survey conducted during FY02 regarding the rural grief support program (see Attachment C). WISH reports: We provided assistance to a young woman whose mother was murdered in Anchorage. The young woman was a former Ketchikan resident living in Washington State; she called WISH for assistance. She was a former WISH client and felt we could best assist her. Her mother had been reported missing but she felt no one was taking much interest in looking for her mother. She was sure her mother had been murdered but felt that because her mother was an Alaska Native woman and a former “street” person that no one was taking the case very seriously. For over a year we provided telephonic personal support, utilized e-mail to send her information and assisted her with her claim to Violent Crimes Compensation. One WISH staff was able to physically meet with her in Anchorage the week of her mother’s funeral to provide personal support and to refer her for further assistance to agencies in Anchorage. We assisted her in getting legal assistance to deal with other issues surrounding her mother’s murder. Two suspects have been arrested and charged in the murder of her mother and the cases are pending trial at this time. Jessica Newton of the FBI was also of great assistance to WISH staff and the family of the murdered woman. Travel funds were lent to the young woman to return back to Washington state after she came to Alaska to search for her mother’s body and later funds were provided to her to travel to Anchorage from Washington to attend the funeral of her mother. The young woman applied for Violent Crimes Compensation and was refunded a portion of the financial assistance provided to her by a WISH staff member. In mid-April, an 8-week-old infant died as a result of the abuse he suffered. The child was assaulted in Ketchikan then medevaced to Seattle where he died. WISH was asked to participate in the local memorial service held in Ketchikan. We have provided services via telephone and e-mail to the paternal side of the infant's family who live in Washington and Oregon. The trial is set for this fall and WISH has offered to assist the family if they are able to travel to Ketchikan to attend. We provided services to a 68-year-old woman who had been the victim of Elder abuse. Services included immediate safety, personal support and crisis counseling. We provided services including transportation, immediate safety shelter, crisis counseling, advocacy, group and personal support to a victim of domestic violence and sexual assault who was developmentally disabled and from the Metlakatla Indian Reservation.
E. ISSUES OR TRENDS IMPACTING CRIME VICTIM SERVICES: Due to the tremendous diversity in cultures, geographies, languages, and economies in Alaska, each victim service program has their own unique issues and trends. AWAIC reports: Although not a trend or emerging issue, it is notable that half of the homicides in Anchorage this year were domestic violence related. Clearly, this underscores the need for continued victim services in this area. AWRC reports: During the past year the Alaska Department of Health and Social Service has launched a campaign addressing the issue of statutory rape in order to inform Alaskans that statutory rape is a crime. This is the first time the issues have been addressed publicly across the state. IAC reports: Our area is extremely short staffed in law enforcement. Our local law enforcement agency is short 6 officers and is lucky to have 3 officers on the street for a population of 32,000. This includes patrol officers. Many of our Judges do not understand victims of domestic violence and still require them to exchange the children in ways that are unsafe. SAFE reports: Response time to sex crimes - Although we’ve made some progress in the last two years, there is still a long period of time between reporting a sex related crime to the police and any intervention/arrest. Virtually all sex crimes in Alaska are felonies and our Village Public Safety Officers are not authorized to investigate felony crimes. This leaves the job to the four or five Alaska State Troopers who are required to cover an area bigger than the state of Ohio with 32 villages that can only be reached by airplane (weather, tides, and daylight cooperating). As a result, it is often months from the time a victim reports a sexual assault before any action is taken, including arresting the perpetrator. This leaves the victim alone, often without police protection of any kind, in a small village with the offender who knows she has reported the crime to the police. Arrest rates for women – We remain concerned about the high arrest rate of women in Dillingham, home to nearly ¼ the permanent residents of Bristol Bay. Nearly one out of three people arrested in a domestic violence call are women, nearly all of them Native and virtually all of them where there is a significant prior history of the male partner’s violence toward the women prior to her being arrested. The overall all arrest rate for women in Bristol Bay is 17%. If Dillingham’s stats are removed, the overall rate is around 10%. Clearly, we have a problem in Dillingham. Information from SAFE’s W.A.T.C.H. program and criminal justice tracking system helped document this problem. Dillingham Police Chief John Parker is currently reviewing the data and considering options for addressing the issue. One thing we are looking at is whether there is any substantial difference in the arrest rate of women among individual officers. If so, it would help determine the most effective way of addressing the question (training, policy & procedures changes, different job assignments, etc). SPWS reports: A trend towards making perpetrators of crimes make restitution to their victims as well as a trend towards support groups for victims of crimes, such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving. In our community in the past year community outreach attempted to inform the public regarding laws involving sex crimes involving minors where the perpetrators may not see their behavior as a crime because the act was consensual. STAR reports: STAR is closely following two initiatives. One is the family prevention initiative that is coming from the Federal government regarding marriage and faith based groups offering services. We are interested in being active partners with any initiative to support victims of sexual assault and abuse in Alaska. Also, we are researching some local tax initiatives to supporting violence against women. Funding is always an issue. We are exploring ways communities have developed income streams dedicated to programs that serve victims. USAFV reports: We are still seeing much cultural and familial resistance to victims reporting domestic violence. We have a large Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islander population, and within these cultures it is seen as a betrayal if a woman reports her batterer to the police or seeks outside help. There is also still a lot of victim blaming across the spectrum, and more and more women getting arrested when they are actually the victim. VFJ reports: Because we serve all victims of violent crime, when we see a jump in specific crimes it causes us to pay attention. Over the last quarter we have seen a significant increase (50%) in domestic violence and sexual assault clients. WISH reports: There has been a huge increase in the number of homicides in Ketchikan during the past year. At least one homicide is believed to have been the result of a hate crime. Over all, we have seen a very large increase in requests for services from victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.
F. USE OF VOCA ADMINISTRATIVE FUNDS: The administrative funds are used to provide oversight of the VOCA funded programs. The duties include but are not limited to monitoring program compliance with applicable regulations and VOCA grant award conditions of the programs; conducting onsite program evaluations, this includes interviews with program staff and other members of community agencies; conducting on-going follow up with the programs to ensure compliance with the onsite evaluation recommendations; and providing technical assistance and support as needed. The VOCA administration funds also improve victim services by providing statewide coordination and policy development.