RD421 - Domestic and Sexual Violence in Virginia 2010 Annual Report


Executive Summary:
Domestic and sexual violence impact our families, homes, communities, schools, and workplaces on a daily basis. Whether the impact is open and obvious, such as a tragic homicide that receives media attention and spurs a community to action, or hidden and subtle, such as the emotional and psychological effect on children who witness violence in the home, domestic and sexual violence can penetrate even the deepest levels of our society.

The available data highlights the impact of these crimes in Virginia. In 2009, there were more than 63,000 calls to domestic and sexual violence hotlines across the state, representing a 8.0% increase in calls from the year before. (*i) At least 124 men, women, and children lost their lives to domestic violence. (*ii) A total of 5,714 adults and children received 214,427 nights of emergency or temporary shelter due to domestic violence; however, 2,227 families requesting shelter services were turned away due to lack of shelter space. (*iii) A total of 36,922 emergency protective orders were issued by magistrates and judges across the Commonwealth to protect the immediate health and safety of victims and their family members. (*iv)

Despite facing challenges with their budgets and resources, agencies and organizations across the Commonwealth continued their efforts to address domestic and sexual violence in 2010.

The Virginia General Assembly enacted important legislation to strengthen protective orders. Protective order laws were amended to permit victims to petition the court for extension of an existing protective order for an additional two year period when the current protective order is set to expire. (HB930/SB468) In addition, the General Assembly directed the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia to coordinate with Virginia’s neighboring states on the contents of protective order forms to improve interstate enforcement. (HB931/SB467). In addition, the General Assembly directed the Virginia State Crime Commission to undertake a study of protective order legislation to promote a comprehensive approach to amending the protective order statutes.

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.

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 2010, the partnership provided training and technical assistance to prosecutors, law enforcement officers, advocates, and allied professionals on domestic and sexual violence issues.

• The Virginia State Police (VSP) continued its efforts to audit local law enforcement agencies for accurate and timely entry of protective order information into the Virginia Criminal Information Network (VCIN). As a result of VSP’s efforts, as of November 2010, the service rate for protective orders remained at a high of 93%, (*v) only enhancing the ability of law enforcement officers to enforce these orders in the field.

• The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) focused its efforts on prevention of domestic and sexual violence and promoting awareness of these issues as public health issues. Through Project RADAR, VDH trained more than 1,400 health care professionals across the Commonwealth on effectively identifying, assessing, and managing patients experiencing intimate partner violence.

• The Family and Children’s Trust Fund (FACT) published the Commonwealth’s first annual report on social indicators of family violence, Violence at Home: The FACT Report. The report aims to communicate the state of family violence across the lifespan continuum in Virginia, raise awareness of the problem of family violence, shape public policy, and highlight innovative responses to prevent and address family violence statewide.

• The Virginia Center on Aging (VCoA) continued its efforts to train law enforcement officers and prosecutors on responding to elder abuse cases, recognizing that family and domestic abuse does not happen only to those under the age of 50.

• Following the tragic homicide of University of Virginia student Yeardley Love in May, 2010, Verizon Wireless and Verizon Foundation provided funding to the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance (Action Alliance) to expand its nationally recognized dating violence campaign, The Red Flag Campaign, to every public, private, and community college in Virginia. These grants made it possible for 80 campuses in Virginia to receive Red Flag Campaign packages in August in time for launching the campaign during the Fall semester.

• The Supreme Court of Virginia, Office of the Executive Secretary (OES), collaborated with the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Social Work, The Partnership for People with Disabilities, and Resources for Independent Living, Inc., on the I-CAN! Accessibility Project. The goal of the project is to assist persons with disabilities who are victims of domestic violence in navigating the court system and obtaining family abuse protective orders.

* The Commonwealth’s Attorneys’ Services Council (CASC) provided much needed, no-cost training to Virginia’s prosecutors on domestic and sexual violence. Through its “Trauma to Trial” and “Advanced Domestic Violence Prosecution” trainings, prosecutors received intensive training to enhance their investigation and prosecution of these cases.

• 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. Washington County was recognized for its response to domestic violence and received a $1,000 check from the Verizon Wireless HopeLine Program for its local domestic violence program, Abuse Alternatives, Inc.

In addition, 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. Much of that information is included in this Report.

Finally, the 2009 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 2010. Agencies collaborated at the state level, successfully partnering on a number of important initiatives. Agencies also continued their efforts to bring attention to the issues of services for children exposed to domestic violence, services to victims from underserved populations, 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.

In 2010, we continued to face economic and funding challenges. Local programs and agencies experienced ongoing fluctuations in funding from state and local sources. Despite the financial challenges faced by all levels of government, agencies and programs still implemented innovative programs to address the needs of victims, families, and communities touched by domestic and sexual violence.

As we enter 2011, 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.
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(*i) Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance, VAdata Domestic Violence Program Report 2009 (2010).
(*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 October 18, 2010. This number may change, however, as some cases from 2009 remain under investigation.
(*iii) Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance, VAdata Domestic Violence Program Report 2009 (2010).
(*iv) Information provided by the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia.
(*v) In January 2006, an audit conducted by the Virginia State Police showed a protective order service rate of 44%, meaning that only 44% of all active protective orders had been served on the respondent, or abusive party. A second audit conducted in October 2009 revealed a vast improvement in service. At that time, 93% of all active protective orders had been served on the abusive party.