STOP Sexual Assault and PREA (Prison, Rape, Elimination, Act) Compliance Program

The Services * Training * Officers * Prosecutors (STOP) Violence Against Women Formula Grant is awarded to all 56 states and territories to enhance local communities’ capacity to develop and strengthen effective strategies to combat domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The sexual assault set-aside, implemented in 2015, ensures that states and territories dedicate a minimum of 20% of their federal funds to support projects addressing sexual assault. This set-aside aims to enhance communities’ ability to provide comprehensive services to sexual assault victims and improve the criminal justice system’s response to these crimes. The set-aside is to be dedicated to addressing sexual assault across at least two of the STOP allocation categories. This 20% will be used to fund the STOP Sexual Assault and PREA Compliance Program award. The award will focus on two major areas by: Meaningfully addressing sexual assault Applicants can demonstrate they meaningfully address sexual assault by: • Prioritizing sexual assault victim safety, privacy, and confidentiality. • Having staff dedicated to providing sexual assault services. • Coordinating services within the organization and the community to promote high-quality, integrated support. • Describing how they ensure services are fully accessible to all victims of sexual assault (i.e. non-intimate partner victims of sexual assault, adults sexually abused as children, children and adolescent victims 11 and up). • Developing and regularly updating protocols and policies centered on sexual assault. • Collecting and analyzing data on sexual assault service utilization, conducting regular needs assessments, and evaluating practices to ensure alignment with national standards and best practices. • Offering opportunities for sexual assault survivors to provide feedback about services Ensuring full compliance with the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), which will address the following STOP purpose area, pursuant to 34 U.S. C. §§ 10441(b): Developing, enlarging, or strengthening programs addressing sexual assault against men, women, and youth in correctional and detention settings. According to the STOP Implementation plan, the applicant awarded these funds will fund an advocate position as part of the PREA compliance plan.