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VICTIMS OF CRIME ACT VICTIM ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM 2002 CONNECTICUT STATE WIDE ASSISTANCE REPORT Prepared By: Connecticut Judicial Branch 75 Elm Street Hartford, CT 06106-0000 tel: (860)747-6070
STATE FUNDING INFORMATION
A. THE ANNUAL AMOUNT ALLOCATED TO THE VICTIM ASSISTANCE PROJECTS: 1. Appropriations $ 3,569,635 2. Criminal Fines and Penalities $ 0 3. Assessments $ 0 4. Other $ 0 TOTAL:$ 3,569,635
B. TOTAL NUMBER OF AGENCIES FUNDED FROM THE FEDERAL GRANT: 61
C. NUMBER OF SUBGRANTS FUNDED FROM THIS FEDERAL GRANT: 30
VICTIM STATISTICS
A. THE NUMBER OF VICTIMS SERVED BY TYPE OF VICTIMIZATION:
NO. OF NO. OF VICTIMS SERVED VICTIMS SERVED 322 1. Child Physical Abuse 1,535 7. Adults Molested as Children 3,119 2. Child Sexual Abuse 463 8. Survivors of Homicide Victims 394 3. DUI/DWI Crashes 180 9. Robbery 21,060 4. Domestic Violence 1,321 10. Assualt 2,257 5. Adult Sexual Assault 947 11. Other 41 6. Elder Abuse TOTAL: 31,639
B. THE NUMBER OF VICTIMS WHO RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING SERVICES:
NO. OF VICTIMS SERVED 23,532 1. Crisis Counseling 4,793 2. Followup 902 3. Therapy 4,064 4. Group Treatment/Support 7,259 5. Shelter/Safehouse 16,404 6. Information/Referral (in-person) 14,797 7. Criminal Justice Support/Advocacy 1,113 8. Emergency Financial Assistance 5,568 9. Emergency Legal Advocacy 14,490 10. Assistance in filing Compensation Claims 4,906 11. Personal Advocacy 5,787 12. Telephone contact Informational/Referral 21,713 13. Other TOTAL: 125,328
A. EFFORTS TO PROMOTE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE AID TO CRIME VICTIMS: The many efforts put forth by Connecticut to promote coordinated public and private efforts to aid crime victims included: 1. OVS continued to provide staff services to a State Advisory Council representing victim populations, including but not limited to, survivors of homicide victims, family violence, sexual assault, drunk driving, robbery, and assault. The Council is also represented by State of Connecticut Judicial Branch and Executive Branch agencies. The Council recommends legislative or other matters that would improve services to crime victims, and develops and coordinates needs assessments for both Court-based and community-based victim services. 2. Staff of VOCA-funded contractors and subcontractors served on Domestic Violence Task Forces in Ansonia, Bridgeport, Danbury, Dayville/Willimantic, Middletown, New Haven, Stamford, and Waterbury, coordinating local resources and promoting community education. 3. OVS staff and staff of VOCA-funded contractors and subcontractors participated on Multidisciplinary Investigative Teams addressing issues of child sexual assault/abuse throughout the State. 4. OVS staff and staff of VOCA-funded contractors (Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Inc., Connecticut Sexual Assault Crisis Services, Inc., Mothers Against Drunk Driving Connecticut State Organization, and Survivors of Homicide, Inc.) took part in the Through Any Door Coalition public awareness campaign. 5. OVS funded four new contracted projects during the reporting period. The contractors are Connecticut Women's Education and Legal Fund, Family Services Woodfield, New Britain General Hospital, and New Britain Police Department. 6. Contractor The Aetna Foundation Children's Center/Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center worked with a study group of the Governor's Task Force on Justice for Abused Children to enhance services to juvenile offenders who are also victims of prior abuse. 7. Staff of contractor Child Guidance Center of Southern Connecticut, Inc. continued to meet regularly with representatives of the Connecticut Department of Children and Families to coordinate services more efficiently. 8. Contractor Child Guidance Clinic of Greater Waterbury, Inc. began a major community outreach program to increase its coordination, utilization, and resource network. 9. Contractor City of Bridgeport Police Department referred crime victims to contractor Family Services Woodfield for counseling and support group sessions. 10. Contractor Clifford Beers Clinic supplied clinicians to the "Body Shop," the school-based clinic at the Fair Haven Middle School and in school-based clinics at two New Haven elementary schools. 11. Contractor Community Child Guidance Clinic, Inc. maintained contact with the Domestic Violence Outreach Team, Rockville Court, and Manchester Memorial Hospital. 12. Contractor Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Inc. (CCADV) trained approximately 200 Connecticut Department of Labor (DOL) supervisors and case managers regarding the new protocol to refer DOL clients experiencing domestic violence to their local domestic violence programs. DOL worked with the Connecticut Department of Social Services, contractor Connecticut Women's Education and Legal Fund, Greater Hartford Legal Assistance, and CCADV in developing the new protocols. 13. Contractor Connecticut Coalition of Mutual Assistance Associations continued to work with police departments on issues affecting Laotian, Vietnamese, Ethiopian, Haitian, Bosnian, and Kosovar victims. 14. A subcontractor of contractor Connecticut Sexual Assault Crisis Services, Inc. used the support of the Spanish Response Team centers to help in the training process for the Bilingual/Bicultural Advocate and volunteers for the Culturally-appropriate Rape Crisis Intervention Services program. 15. Staff of contractor Coordinating Council for Children in Crisis, Inc. collaborated with the Sexual Assault Crisis Services Program and court-based Victim Advocates in the Superior Court. 16. Staff of contractor Human Resources Agency of New Britain, Inc. attended the "Immigration and Refugee Women" roundtable sponsored by the Federal Department of Labor's Women's Bureau. 17. Staff of contractor Mothers Against Drunk Driving Connecticut State Organization attended the MADD National Beginning Victim Assistance Institute and the MADD National Candlelight Vigil in Canada. 18. Contractor The Salvation Army and contractor The Village for Families and Children, Inc. maintained relationships with the Hartford Police Victim Assistance Unit. 19. Contractor The Wheeler Clinic, Inc. coordinated services with the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, the Connecticut Department of Mental Retardation, the Connecticut Department of Social Services, various insurers, HMOs, and others. 20. Contractor Yale University School of Medicine continued to work with the Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF) and police to help minimize secondary trauma to child victims and their families. To help ensure collaborative efforts with DCF, Yale's Child Sexual Abuse Clinic staff met with DCF intake staff responsible for the investigations of suspected sexual abuse cases in the New Haven region.
B. EFFORTS TAKEN TO SERVE FEDERAL CRIME VICTIMS: OVS and the VOCA-funded contractors worked with Connecticut's Federal Victim-Witness Coordinator on both procedural matters and service coordination for individual cases. Several cross-references were made for appropriate services. 2. Contractor Child Guidance Center of Southern Connecticut, Inc. was contacted for treatment or consultation by several families in Stamford, Greenwich, New Canaan, and Darien who were directly affected by the September 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. 3. Program faculty of contractor Yale University School of Medicine worked closely with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to coordinate the needs of child victims. The faculty was in regular contact with DOJ personnel related to the National Center for Children Exposed to Violence, and other activities (e.g., child responses to terrorism). Related work occurred through the Childhood Violent Trauma Center, a component of the SAMHSA-funded National Child Traumatic Stress Institute. 4. Contractor City of Bridgeport Police Department worked closely with the Federal Victim-Witness Coordinator.
C. ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE THE DELIVERY OF VICTIM SERVICES: OVS continued to operate the Statewide toll-free Crime Victim Information Clearinghouse and Hotline for information on rights and referral to resources. 2. OVS cosponsored the "Responding to Victimization and Terrorism: A Diversity of Needs" symposium with Central Connecticut State University, the Connecticut Board of Parole, the University of New Haven, the Connecticut Department of Correction, and contractor Survivors of Homicide, Inc. 3. OVS conducted the Notification Program through which crime victims and immediate family members of inmates can be notified about changes in status of inmates' sentences to the Connecticut Department of Correction. 4. OVS is in the final stages of its development of a Registry of Restraining/Protective/No Contact Orders. 5. OVS held the second annual Connecticut Victims Assistance Academy. It is an intensive State-specific training program completely focused on crime victim issues. It is modeled on the National Victim Assistance Academy, the nation's premiere training and education program for professionals who help crime victims. 6. OVS staff served on the Commission on the Standardization of the Collection of Evidence in Sexual Assault Investigations. 7. OVS staff participated on the Governor's Task Force on Justice for Abused Children. 8. OVS continued training activities to include police recruits, newly-appointed judges, and Judicial Marshals. 9. OVS held the Fourth Annual Contractor Training-Technical Assistance Session in October 2001. 10. OVS staff began preparations for the Fifth Annual Contractor Training-Technical Assistance Session held in August 2002. 11. OVS staff provided compensation training to staff of VOCA-funded contractors and subcontractors. 12. OVS provided public presentations through the Speaker's Bureau. 13. OVS' Grants and Contracts Unit developed a "Guide for Administration of VOCA VA Contracted Services", which was distributed for use by VOCA-funded contractors and subcontractors. 14. Contractor The Aetna Foundation Children's Center/Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center's Family Advocate participated in the State chapter of the National Children's Alliance. The Family Advocate participated in training for the Connecticut Kid Care Program to enhance the services available to children served by its VOCA-funded project. 15. OVS staff and staff of contractor Child and Family Agency of Southeastern Connecticut, Inc., contractor City of Bridgeport, contractor Clifford Beers Clinic, contractor Community Child Guidance Clinic, Inc., contractor Coordinating Council for Children in Crisis, Inc., and contractor Survivors of Homicide, Inc. attended the second annual Connecticut Victims Assistance Academy. 16. Staff of contractor Child Guidance Center of Greater Bridgeport, Inc. attended a formal training session that included information about laws that protect child sexual abuse victims, how to help parents engage in the process of recovery, and clinical material relating to the treatment and recovery of the child victim. 17. Staff of contractor Child Guidance Center of Southern Connecticut, Inc. and contractor The Village for Families and Children, Inc. participated in regional training regarding behavioral health services in the aftermath of critical incident trauma. The training, organized by the State, was convened specifically to address needs associated with the ongoing threat of terrorism. 18. Staff of contractor Child Guidance Clinic of Greater Waterbury, Inc. attended a workshop entitled "Community Response to Younger Children Who Have Experienced Violence" and participated on a panel of community resources. 19. Staff of contractor City of Bridgeport Police Department, contractor Human Resources Agency of New Britain, Inc., contractor Mothers Against Drunk Driving Connecticut State Organization, and contractor The Village for Families and Children, Inc. attended the "Responding to Victimization and Terrorism: A Diversity of Needs" symposium. 20. Staff of contractor Connecticut Children's Medical Center attended the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children Colloquium and the International Congress on Child Abuse and Neglect. 21. Staff of contractor Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Inc. attended conferences entitled "Unintended Consequences: How Reform Efforts Can Backfire on Battered Women" and "Affirming Battered Women's Right to Safety and Culturally-relevant Advocacy." Staff plan to use the ideas gained from the conferences to enhance Connecticut's advocacy efforts for battered women and their children. 22. Staff of contractor Connecticut Coalition of Mutual Assistance Associations, in trying to reach out to people in the different minority communities, attended community and church services. With the help of church authorities, they distributed pamphlets and talked to the public about the different victim services available. 23. A subcontractor of contractor Connecticut Sexual Assault Crisis Services, Inc. provided outreach to schools to identify victims and provide them needed services. Through the local Hispanic Providers Network, staff received information regarding how to provide effective outreach to the Latina community. 24. Staff of contractor Family Services Woodfield received training on working with trauma and loss victims; debriefing; and grief support. 25. Staff of contractor The Wheeler Clinic, Inc. participated in University of Connecticut trauma training activity. 26. Staff of contractor Yale University School of Medicine received training on social services, sexual abuse offenders, trauma, and grief.
D. WAYS VOCA FUNDS HAVE BEEN USED TO ASSIST CRIME VICTIMS: 1. Robbery - Contractor Connecticut Coalition of Mutual Assistance Associations' Victim Advocacy for Refugees and Immigrants Program An elderly Bosnian woman, who had just come to this country several months ago, went to the bank to cash her welfare check. She did not notice that two men were watching her and followed her when she left the bank. One distracted her by talking to her while the other snatched her purse and ran away with all her money and important papers. The woman was hysterical. She cried and shouted. People on the street tried to help her but could not understand her because she did not speak English. Finally the police arrived and drove her to the station after much prodding. The police called the contractor's Victim Advocate, who calmed the woman down and drove her home. The woman was afraid that without identification papers, the authorities might put her in jail and send her back to Bosnia. The Victim Advocate reassured her that she was not in trouble. A few days later, the Victim Advocate helped her reapply for a Social Security card and immigration papers and collected money from the community to help her out. 2. Child Sexual Abuse – Contractor Child Guidance Center of Greater Bridgeport, Inc.'s Sexual Abuse Treatment and Recovery Program A Clinician received a request for services for two boys (11, 7). They had been removed from their mother's home after their mother wrote an email to a "cyberspace" lover about sexual abuse of her sons. The email was also "accidentally" sent to another email address. It was explicit, provocative, and pornographic. The Connecticut Department of Children and Families characterized the cases as though they were the worst cases of sexual abuse in the State's history. The cases were discussed with a renowned consultant. Because of her experience in treating sexual abuse victims for decades, she provided a broader perspective. She pointed out that in the rare case where there is documented evidence of the abuse (e.g., a videotape or a confession), it is the natural inclination of professionals in the field to regard the case as more severe or more extraordinary than in cases where the evidence is more circumstantial. The reader of the mother's account of what she did to her sons is incensed by the immediacy and evocative nature of the email's detail. This of course does not mean that in cases where there is documented evidence of abuse that the abuse is necessarily more heinous then when there is no such evidence. The consultant pointed out that what the mother wrote to her lover might even have been an exaggeration of what occurred, to excite her lover. Along with the disclosure of the boys, especially the younger child, it appears that the woman engaged in incestuous, criminal behavior with her sons. However, with the perspective of the consultant, the stigma placed on the children (that their sexual abuse was even beyond "average") has been mitigated. Besides the normalization of the case provided by the consultation, the grant allowed the boys to be treated by separate therapists who were nevertheless part of an integrated treatment team. Separate therapists provided services because one boy was more open and forthcoming with information than the other. Because of the grant funding, different therapists worked with different members of the same family and still met regularly with the consultant to discuss the family. 3. Domestic Violence – Contractor Community Child Guidance Clinic, Inc.'s Victim Assistance Program An 11-year-old boy was a witness to chronic, severe domestic violence perpetrated on his mother by her boyfriend. The child displayed difficulty concentrating, poor anger management, behavior problems, temper tantrums, and academic problems. He felt a great amount of stress and worry when his mother went out at night. The VOCA worker provided individual and family therapy, follow-up, and assistance in filing compensation claims. 4. Assault - Contractor The Salvation Army's Victim Assistance Program The Victim Advocate received a referral from the North Central Area Agency on Agency regarding a man who was assaulted and robbed in the driveway of his home. The man received extensive injuries from the attack and spent some time in the hospital. The Victim Advocate assisted the man with filling out crime victim compensation forms for his medical expenses. The victim was referred to contractor The Village for Families and Children, Inc.'s Counseling for Victims of Robbery and Assault Program for counseling. The Victim Advocate continued to follow up on the victim's progress.
E. ISSUES OR TRENDS IMPACTING CRIME VICTIM SERVICES: Emerging issues or notable trends impacting services to crime victims in Connecticut included, but were not limited to: 1. Concerning child sexual abuse, identification of incidents involving juvenile offenders who are also victims of prior abuse (these children have a broader set of needs for which traditional approaches are inadequate), 2. Heightened awareness of the availability of crime victim compensation funds following the September 2001 terrorist attacks, 3. Portrayal of psychotherapy as a positive way to relieve psychological and emotional distress related to victimization, 4. Implementation of new immigration laws, prompting some immigrant victims, fearing deportation, to not report crimes, 5. Gambling, particularly in the Asian community, 6. Increase in hate and bias-related crimes, 7. Growth in fraud and scams perpetrated against the elderly, 8. Concern about how Federal and State budget cuts will affect services to victims, 9. Complexity of needs of victims served, including housing, substance abuse, and mental illness/mental health needs, 10. Challenges of working with persons, especially teens, who are suicidal, 11. Changes in mandated reporting requirements requiring cases not previously reported to be included in the mandated reporting, 12. Increase in the number of survivors of clergy abuse and other sexual violence coming forward because of recent media coverage, 13. More multi-victim families and related cases, and more cases in which both sexual abuse and domestic violence are salient issues, 14. Increase in murder rates throughout Connecticut cities, 15. Increase in teen victims seeking services, 16. Legacy of repeated generations of sexual abuse, 17. HMO limitations on availability of mental health services for children and families, 18. More referrals of Hispanic families/increase in number of Spanish-speaking clients seeking services, 19. Difficulty in hiring bilingual/bicultural staff, 20. Parents who have been victims of childhood sexual abuse in need of more clinical treatment services, 21. Lack of funding and/or affordable permanent housing for victims of domestic violence, 22. Increase in gang-related activity, 23. Seasonal variations in violent crime, 24. Increase in sexual assault cases involving pornography online, and 25. Access to guns/gun safety.
F. USE OF VOCA ADMINISTRATIVE FUNDS: During the reporting period, VOCA administrative dollars were used to improve victim services, as follows: 1. OVS used administrative funds to maintain a full-time Grants and Contracts Specialist position. With the Accountant II, this position is responsible for varied aspects of grants/contracts management, including, but not limited to: a. Assistance in the Request for Proposal and contracting processes, b. Review of reports submitted by contractors, c. Contractor monitoring, including onsite visits, d. Grant writing activities, e. Submission of reports to Federal and/or State agencies, f. Technical assistance, training, support, and guidance to contractors on reporting, programming, funding, etc., and g. Compliance with Federal and State regulations and requirements. 2. Administrative funds supported training and travel expenses related to OVS' Annual Contractor Training-Technical Assistance Session; contractor monitoring efforts, and other functions of the Grants and Contracts Specialist.