Colorado has opened its application process for organizations to apply for funds through the Federal Victims Of Crime Act (VOCA). If you are an organization in Colorado that works with crime survivors or victims’ families, you may be eligible to apply through this RFP process. Through our VOCA Funding Toolkit, and assistance from our Grassroots Capacity Building Specialist,…
There is a growing interest in reimagining the relationship between the public health and the justice systems. Our coverage of the new report, “Stress on the Streets (SOS): Race, Policing, Health, and Increasing Trust, not Trauma,” last month highlighted innovative ways that public health and criminal justice reform organizations are collaborating to do just that….
You spoke, and Congress listened! Thanks to everyone who participated in our #DontCutVOCA action, we have something to celebrate in the New Year: Congress approved an appropriations bill that increases funding for crime survivor services, known as VOCA funding, by over 15% in 2016.
As the Chair of the EJUSA Board of Directors, I know all about the difference EJUSA makes in the movement to end the death penalty and transform the justice system. I see it every day. That is why it brings me great pleasure to share with you EJUSA’s 2015 impact report. Click here to read the…
The Partnership for Safety and Justice, a criminal justice reform organization in Oregon, just launched a new website, Help.Hope.Heal, for people whose friends or family members have been harmed by crime or violence. The website includes advice and resources to help you learn what to say and do to support your friend and yourself, so that…
As part of our growing work to bring racial equity to victims’ services, EJUSA published a comprehensive toolkit to help groups apply for Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding. The toolkit is geared towards organizations serving crime survivors – particularly in communities of color – that have not had access to federal funding in the past. EJUSA…
We need your urgent action to help save critical funding for victims services. Every year, Congress sets a level of spending from a fund known as VOCA. These are not tax dollars. Many of these funds go to community groups to support vital services like trauma intervention and counseling for people who have been harmed by…
On September 25, in honor of National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims, I spent time reaching out to several family members of murder victims. Some survivors shared the traditions they have developed over the years to mark the day, including visiting burial grounds or viewing commemorative videos and photographs. Others told me that the…
Last month, we introduced you to the expansion of our work to build a better justice system, including two new staff. I had the opportunity to sit down with one of them, Fatimah Loren Muhammad, and learn about her first few weeks, what a “trauma-informed” justice system means, and her vision for this first year….
For 25 years, you’ve helped us tackle one of the most serious flaws in the U.S. justice system: the death penalty. We’re not done with that work. But you know what? We’re almost there. Really. So what’s next when we end the death penalty? We believe it’s not enough to just dismantle the parts of…