Evaluation of the STOP Formula Grants to Combat Violence Against Women: The Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (1997 Report)

EVALUATION OF THESTOP FORMULAGRANTSTOCOMBATVIOLENCEAGAINSTWOMENVIOLENCETheAgainstWomenAct of 19941997REPORTPrepared forthe National Instituteof JusticeGrant No.95-WT-NX-0005This project wassupported by GrantNo. 95-WT-NX-0005 awarded bythe NationalInstitute of Justice,U.S. Department ofJustice. Points ofview in this docu-ment are those ofthe authors and donot necessarily rep-resent the officialposition or policiesof the U.S. Depart-ment of Justice orof other staffmembers, officers,trustees, advisorygroups, or fundersof the UrbanInstitute.TheAgainstWomenAct of 1994VIOLENCEEVALUATION OF THESTOP FORMULAGRANTSTOCOMBATVIOLENCEAGAINSTWOMENThe Urban Institute2100 M Street, N.W.Washington, D.C. 20037 1997 Report:Evaluation of the STOP Formula GrantsUnder theViolence Against WomenAct of 1994March 1997Martha R. BurtLisa C. NewmarkKrista K. OlsonLaudan Y. AronAdele V. HarrellThe Urban Institute2100 M Street, N.W.Washington, D.C. 20037 Conclusions are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staffmembers, officers, trustees, advisory groups, or funders of the Urban Institute.March 1997 ContentsACKNOWLEDGMENTSviHIGHLIGHTS OF THE REPORTviiSummary of RecommendationsxiiiCHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1Summary of the 1996 Report11996 Urban Institute Evaluation Activities2State Site Visits2Analysis of the 1995 Subgrant Awards4Coordination of STOP Evaluation Activities4Context for Activities under VAWA5Overview of This Report6CHAPTER 2: ACCOMPLISHMENTSóIMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROGRAMAT THE FEDERAL LEVEL7Federal Actions on the 1996 STOP Grants8OJPís STOP Application and Award Process8Interactions of State STOP Grantees and OJP Grant Managers9OJPís Cooperative Agreements for Technical Assistance9The STOP-TA Projectís Technical Assistance Activities10On-Site ConsultationsóSan Diego and Duluth10Promising Practices Focus Groups11Technical Assistance to Individual State Grantees and Subgrantees11NIJís Research Agenda Supporting the STOP Program11The State Perspective12OJP Administrative Requirements12Technical Assistance13Recommendations14 1997 REPORT: EVALUATION OF THE STOP FORMULA GRANTSivThe Urban InstituteCHAPTER 3: ACCOMPLISHMENTSóIMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROGRAM AT THE STATE LEVEL: AN ASSESSMENT OF 12 STATES17The State Planning Process18Choice of Lead Agency and Inclusiveness of the Planning Group18How Closely Did the Process Approximate a Long-Range StrategicPlanning Process?19Assessing Needs20Assessing Non-STOP Resources21Establishing First-Year and Subsequent Priorities21Writing Requests for Proposals22Assessing Proposals23Selecting a Balanced Portfolio24Establishing a Feedback Loop25The Timing of Statesí STOP Grantmaking Process25Communication, Cooperation, Collaboration26Communication26Cooperation27Collaboration27RecommendationsóThe Planning and Allocation Process28Compliance with Legislative Mandates29Waiver of Filing Fees for Domestic Violence Cases30Waiver of Charges for Sexual Assault Evidentiary Examinations30Full Faith and Credit for Protection/Restraining Orders32RecommendationsóLegislative Mandates33Gaps and Barriers33State Legislation and Enforcement34Training35Training for Law Enforcement Personnel35Judges and Other Court Personnel36Victim Services36Longer-Term Services37Children Affected by Domestic Violence37Population Coverage38Rural Women38Language Minorities39Minority Women in Urban Areas39Interagency Coordination39Local History40Structural and Political Barriers40Data System Gaps40RecommendationsóRemoving Gaps and Barriers40 vThe Urban InstituteTable of ContentsCHAPTER 4: STATE SUBGRANT AWARDS45Overview of FY 1995 Subgrants46Allocation of Funds across Victim Services, Law Enforcement, and Prosecution46Defining the Requirement46The Distribution of Awards47The Use of Discretionary Funds50Direct Beneficiaries50Distribution Across the Seven Legislative Purpose Areas51Distribution of Effort across Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking53Addressing the Needs of Underserved Populations54The State Matching Requirement55Evaluation of STOP Grant Activities56Recommendations60CHAPTER 5: FUTURE PLANS63Urban Institute Activities for 1997 and Beyond63Technical Assistance Activities for 199764New NIJ-Funded Research Activities641998 Annual Report66APPENDIX A: State STOP Coordinators67APPENDIX B: National Resources for Programs Related to Violence Against Women71APPENDIX C: Master Site Visit Protocol 73NOTES81 AcknowledgmentsThis report could not have been written without assistance from a number of sources. Theauthors gratefully acknowledge the support of the National Institute of Justice and our ProjectMonitor, Bernard Auchter. We also thank Angela Moore Parmley of NIJ, and KathySchwartz and the staff of the Violence Against Women Grants Office. We have enjoyed veryproductive working relationships and look forward to continuing collaboration.We are very grateful for the guidance offered by members of our Advisory Panel: AlanaBowman, Gail Burns-Smith, Jane Burley, Linda Fairstein