Editor's Note: October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The Journal is publishing a series of articles and editorials with the hope of raising awareness to this growing problem in our area.
SPRINGFIELD - Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan wants to reduce incidents of domestic violence in the state.
In Illinois alone, a total of 124,917 incidents of domestic violence incidents were reported in 2003, and more than 60,000 orders of protection were issued. Through the Violent Crime Victims Assistance (VCVA) Act, the Attorney General has provided grant funding for fiscal year 2006 in the amount of $2,202,013 to 216 organizations across Illinois working specifically with domestic violence survivors and their families.
In an ongoing effort to assist victims, Madigan also proposed legislation this year that is now law to add the first month's rent and security deposit to the definition of relocation expenses in the Illinois Crime Victims Compensation Act. Under the Act, relocation expenses are available to all eligible victims of violent crime. To escape a violent relationship, many domestic violence victims request relocation expenses from the program. The new definition of relocation expenses is effective January 1, 2006.
In June 2005, Madigan hosted the first-ever Illinois Victim Assistance Academy (IVAA) to provide training that will improve the quality and consistency of victim services across the state. The week-long IVAA provided an intensive educational program for crime victim service providers, including seminars on how service providers can collaborate to best serve victims of various types of crimes. Many victim assistance providers serve domestic violence survivors through their work with victims of crime both inside and outside of the criminal justice system.
Madigan's Crime Victim Services Division recently implemented a new program to increase the number of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners across the state and encourage the development of Sexual Assault Response Teams. In addition, Madigan's office last year approached full implementation of the Illinois Automated Victim Notification System (IL AVN), which allows victims of crime to access up-to-date information on an offender's custody or case status. Madigan's office is working to expand the IL AVN program to include an online component that will provide vital information to victims of crime through the Internet.
Finally, Madigan's office also introduced a program in 2004 to allow a new Order of Protection Short Form Notification, or Short Form, to be served by any law enforcement officer in the state, reducing the likelihood that an abuser will successfully evade service. Once a domestic abuser has been served with the Short Form, he or she can be charged with violations of the Order of Protection in the event that the abuse continues.
Additional information about programs administered by Madigan's Crime Victim Services Division is available online at www.IllinoisAttorney General.gov/victims and www. IllinoisAttorneyGeneral.gov/women or by calling 1-800-228-3368. Madigan's office offers the online Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services Directory at www.Illinois AttorneyGeneral.gov/dvsa.
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