RD453 - Domestic and Sexual Violence in Virginia 2009 Annual Report


Executive Summary:
This year was a year of challenges, not only for budgets and programs devoted to combating domestic and sexual violence, but more directly for Virginia’s residents and families who continued to face the issues of domestic and sexual violence in their homes and in their communities.

In 2008, there were more than 58,000 calls to domestic and sexual violence hotlines across the state. (*i) At least 128 men, women, and children lost their lives to domestic violence. (*ii) A total of 5,263 adults and children received 182,997 nights of emergency or temporary shelter due to domestic violence; however, 1,437 families requesting shelter services were turned away due to lack of shelter space. (*iii) At the same time, federal grant funding fluctuated and state funding sources tightened, creating unpredictable and constrained budgets for state and local programs.

Despite facing challenges with their budgets and resources, agencies and organizations across the Commonwealth continued their efforts to address domestic and sexual violence in 2009.

The Virginia General Assembly enacted important legislation to assist victims of sexual and domestic violence. Among the significant changes to Virginia law were: expanding the authority of judges and magistrates to issue protective orders to victims of sexual battery and aggravated sexual battery (HB 1842); providing for the issuance of protective orders when a respondent is to be or has been released from incarceration for certain crimes (HB 1857); clarifying the expiration time of protective orders (SB 1439); and requiring local Commonwealth’s Attorneys to coordinate the establishment of multidisciplinary sexual assault response teams in each political subdivision (HB 2400).

Virginia’s state and local agencies and organizations provided tools and resources to prosecutors, law enforcement officers, victim advocates, health care providers, social service providers, and allied professionals. State, local, and private partners also promoted public awareness and prevention initiatives and supported collaborative efforts among agencies and organizations to enhance the overall response to domestic and sexual violence.

These agencies and organizations identified and collected data on family and intimate partner violence-related fatalities, domestic and sexual crimes, protective orders, and services to victims and children in order to assist with providing a broader picture of these issues that confront our communities. From this data, a number of recommendations were developed to address the prevention of and response to domestic violence, including recommendations from the Fatal Domestic Violence Workgroup at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, as well as some of the recommendations included in this Report.

State and local agencies continued to work collaboratively to improve the response to domestic and sexual violence at all levels. The Virginia Partnership to Encourage Arrest Policies and Enforcement of Protection Orders (GEAP), a partnership of five state agencies and one statewide nonprofit organization, continued its efforts to provide intensive training and technical assistance, at the state and local level, to promote practices that enhance victim safety and offender accountability. In September and October 2009, the GEAP partnership sponsored a statewide conference on domestic violence, bringing together more than 225 participants and presenters to learn about the importance of community collaboration in the fight against domestic and sexual violence.

Local communities applied for recognition of their collaborative work at the local level through the Attorney General’s Community Recognition Program for Promising Practices in Domestic Violence Response. Six localities were recognized for their response to domestic violence: the Counties of Chesterfield, Fairfax, King George, Loudoun, and Tazewell, and the City of Richmond. In addition to recognition for its collaborative efforts and innovative initiatives, each locality received a $1,000 check from the Verizon Wireless HopeLine Program for its local domestic violence program.

In addition, the Virginia Center on Aging (VCoA) brought together a multidisciplinary committee of agencies to develop and deliver a training curriculum for law enforcement officers on responding to elder abuse cases, recognizing that family and domestic abuse does not happen only to those under the age of 50. More than 95 law enforcement officers and 15 allied professionals received training to enhance identification and investigation of these cases.

Finally, the 2008 Annual Report on Domestic and Sexual Violence contained a number of recommendations to improve the prevention of and response to domestic and sexual violence. In spite of budget challenges and fluctuating grant funding sources, agencies and organizations continued their efforts in these areas in 2009. Agencies worked together to improve data collection in domestic violence cases, particularly data collection related to protective orders. Agencies also continued their efforts to bring attention to the issues of services for children exposed to domestic violence, education on and enforcement of federal and state firearms laws related to domestic violence, and prevention efforts. Agencies provided training to allied professionals on domestic and sexual violence, taking into consideration the training budget constraints faced by many local agencies and organizations. While strides have been made in these areas, much work remains. This year’s Report contains additional recommendations to guide continued and future efforts.

In 2009, we faced unprecedented economic and funding challenges, and will continue to do so for some time. In light of the challenges faced by all levels of government, we must find innovative ways of addressing the needs of victims, families, and communities touched by domestic and sexual violence. As we enter 2010, we must continue to support the efforts of agencies and programs across the Commonwealth that work tirelessly to promote victim safety and offender accountability, while learning new ways to provide services both efficiently and effectively.
__________________________________________
(*i) Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance, VAdata Domestic Violence Program Report 2008 (2009).
(*ii) Information from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Virginia Department of Health. The number for domestic violence homicides in 2008 is current as of August 26, 2009. This number may change, however, as cases from 2008 remain under investigation.
(*iii) Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance, VAdata Domestic Violence Program Report 2008 (2009).