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VICTIMS OF CRIME ACT VICTIM ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM 2002 NORTH CAROLINA STATE WIDE ASSISTANCE REPORT Prepared By: North Carolina Department of Crime Control & Public Safety - Governor's Crime Commission 1201 Front Street, Suite 200 Raleigh, NC 27609-7220 tel: (919)733-4564
STATE FUNDING INFORMATION
A. THE ANNUAL AMOUNT ALLOCATED TO THE VICTIM ASSISTANCE PROJECTS: 1. Appropriations $ 0 2. Criminal Fines and Penalities $ 0 3. Assessments $ 0 4. Other $ 0 TOTAL:$ 0
B. TOTAL NUMBER OF AGENCIES FUNDED FROM THE FEDERAL GRANT: 86
C. NUMBER OF SUBGRANTS FUNDED FROM THIS FEDERAL GRANT: 115
VICTIM STATISTICS
A. THE NUMBER OF VICTIMS SERVED BY TYPE OF VICTIMIZATION:
NO. OF NO. OF VICTIMS SERVED VICTIMS SERVED 3,220 1. Child Physical Abuse 1,594 7. Adults Molested as Children 4,000 2. Child Sexual Abuse 206 8. Survivors of Homicide Victims 446 3. DUI/DWI Crashes 578 9. Robbery 42,194 4. Domestic Violence 2,737 10. Assualt 2,497 5. Adult Sexual Assault 1,682 11. Other 452 6. Elder Abuse TOTAL: 59,606
B. THE NUMBER OF VICTIMS WHO RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING SERVICES:
NO. OF VICTIMS SERVED 43,847 1. Crisis Counseling 51,702 2. Followup 12,355 3. Therapy 21,808 4. Group Treatment/Support 36,644 5. Shelter/Safehouse 51,228 6. Information/Referral (in-person) 24,252 7. Criminal Justice Support/Advocacy 13,680 8. Emergency Financial Assistance 15,640 9. Emergency Legal Advocacy 4,607 10. Assistance in filing Compensation Claims 38,593 11. Personal Advocacy 75,181 12. Telephone contact Informational/Referral 17,054 13. Other TOTAL: 406,591
A. EFFORTS TO PROMOTE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE AID TO CRIME VICTIMS: -Increased coordination with social services, homeless program, GED programs, and care for child(ren) for families in crisis -More inclusion of college staff on coordinated community response team. -Increasing quantity and diversity in the membership of local coordinated community response teams -Continued increase in training of medical personnel and looking to the medical and mental health communities as a source of outreach and referrals -Increasing coordination and representation of victims services providers on local/regional Hispanic task forces -Increasing wrap-around services for children who have witnessed abuse -A favorite example: A local group called "Fishermen's Nets" and the local women's club are raising funds for a colposcope for the local hospital's sexual assault examination room
B. EFFORTS TAKEN TO SERVE FEDERAL CRIME VICTIMS: -Full Faith and Credit conferences were held across the state (VAWA funded) -Increasingly domestic violence programs are seeing individuals assaulted while out of the country -More agencies are working with the local court systems and law enforcement to identify federal crimes against victims with whom they are working. Our staff placed more emphasis on this in the last grant cycle and it appears to be improving. Agencies are becoming more aware of and utilizing more, of the federal statutes to benefit battered women and their children. Yet., still too Many agencies still answer this question with "not applicable to our agency". -Increasing collaborations at the local level between victim service providers and communities of faith. Often these relationships begin with something simple like church groups providing Meals for the evening support group members, making it easier for clients to attend nightly support groups. -Through the NC Victim Assistance Network's Victim Services Practioner Certification Training, federal statutes were included in this curriculum, and those that have received this training are better able to assist federal crime victims as a result. Additionally they are making contacts and acting as liaisons to federal crime victim advocates. -Additional training is still needed for victim advocates to fully understand federal statutes that are applicable to their victim populations.
C. ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE THE DELIVERY OF VICTIM SERVICES: -An increasing number of agencies are performing program evaluations and performing them more often. -There is an increase in the utilization of outcome surveys from victims, rather than simply counting the number of victims served. Even smaller programs are beginning to use victim surveys as a means of outcome measures by asking 1) what about the services the victim received could have been better, and 2) what services victims need in order to remain away from the abuser that are not currently being offered. We believe the latter question especially speaks to the need for the raising or removal of the VOCA cap. -Many organizations are establishing relationships between the advocates and the Clerks of Court. -Increasing establishments of satellite victim service offices in rural counties. -A large legal services grant has allowed for legal advocacy training to staff and volunteers of most domestic violence agencies in NC. This grant includes collaborations by bringing legal services into the domestic violence agencies for on-site, shelter inter-view by legal services staff attorneys. -Legal services agencies have also developed a Pro Se Kit so victims can secure legal protection without an attorney, which include total community resources lists. -Increasingly, advocates state that newer computers and programs, including client databases aid in program monitoring, evaluation and assessments and free up advocates time from statistical computations to provide more direct services. -Under pressure from advocates and an increase in statewide domestic violence homicides, some prosecutors have finally been convinced to implement evidence-based prosecutions. -Fort Bragg domestic violence homicides have brought the military and community services providers together to assess gaps in services and more appropriate interventions. However, VOCA funds could enhance this process tremendously if it were allowable.
D. WAYS VOCA FUNDS HAVE BEEN USED TO ASSIST CRIME VICTIMS: 1. Case histories of services provided to a victim of domestic violence with special needs (mentally impaired, elderly male, and parent who recalled molestation as her children faced their own sexual abuse) 2. Case history of services provided to a elderly victim of sexual assault. 3. Case history of services provided to a domestic violence victim 4. Flyer to offer services to the public after eight domestic violence homicides in 22 days. 5. Thank you note for court services provide to child victim of sexual assault by parent for services provided
E. ISSUES OR TRENDS IMPACTING CRIME VICTIM SERVICES: -Transportation for victims to access service providers continues to be a strong impediment to service provision and an unmet need. -There are insufficient funds for victims to obtain legal representation. -There has been a backlog of rape kits. Having to wait six months or more for the kit to be analyzed increases victims frustration with the entire process. However, Attorney General Roy Cooper has been a strong advocate for addressing this backlog, and he is currently attempting to tap resources to eliminate it. -Due to economic downturns, the state withheld tax reimbursements to local governments, which in turn reduced allocations by local governments to local nonprofit, victim service agencies. -There continues to be a lack of medical assistance for child victims, especially in rural communities. -Cross warrants continue to be taken out against victims. Additionally, there is an increasing lack of law enforcement attending training even when its free due to reduced workforce, which is in turn due to cutbacks. -Increasingly, male victims are seeking out and utilizing domestic violence services. -Due to the increase in domestic violence homicides, coordinated vigils/rallies were held across the state. -One agency reported a district court judge taking a victim into chambers to discuss issues of safety, the cycle of violence, the detrimental effects of domestic violence on bar children, and resources available to her to increase her education and job skills in order to maintain independence from a violent home. -BUT, by the same token an agency describes a situation where a judge allows a defendant to talk with a victim while in the courtroom, thereby not enforcing domestic violence protective orders in the courthouse. -Isolation of victims in rural communities continues to be a problem. In fact, one agency reports that three out of five victims do not own a car or have a driver's license in their county. -Untrained magistrates are not finding probable cause and not upholding current DVPO (even when the officer has arrested the offender on the scene and transported the suspect to the magistrate and states the offender was in violation of the protective order, the magistrates will release the offender). -There is a continuing need for emergency funds for custody issues and divorce in domestic violence cases, especially poorer women in rural communities -Smaller communities often have unofficial policies of nepotism and this is most detrimental when they hold similar anti-victim beliefs. -Clients are seeking longer-term services, i.e. ongoing counseling, transitional housing. -There is a lack of qualified therapists./psychologists to adequately deal with child victimization, -More and more defendants are obtaining attorneys to defend them against domestic violence and filing counter charges. -Defendants are receiving continuances from judges in order to retain an attorney but the same is not happening for victims. -Many victim service providers are concerned that the State's mental health reform plan will significantly and negatively impact the ability of indigent victims to receive the support they need. -Departments of Social Services are placing demands on clients without providing resources for clients to leave abusers and threatening the victim with loss of custody of their children if the client does not comply with department demands. -There is an increasing number of statutory offenses as young teenage girls are eager for the attention of older males and are consequently being exploited, especially in the African-American community and juries in many areas are not convicting these rapists. -There is a lack of bilingual 911 dispatchers.
F. USE OF VOCA ADMINISTRATIVE FUNDS: VOCA administrative funds continue to support part of three grant managers' salaries to oversee and monitor VOCA subgrantees and a portion of three planners' to help communities develop victim services projects. Small portions of the administrative funds support other staff who play supporting roles in the overall administration of VOCA subgrant dollars. Funds also support a prorated portion of the work of the Governor's Crime Commission and the subcommittee of this commission, the Victims' Services Committee who oversee the state's grant making process for VOCA funds. Same as above WITHOUT Special Conditions