Wilmington, Del. – Today, February 5th, Governor Markell signed the proclamation declaring February as Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month (TDVAPM). Each February, President Obama and Delaware’s Governor declare this special month to bring awareness to this issue and educate young people on the signs of teen dating violence. The proclamation will hear remarks from Lucy O’Donnell (DAPI), Sue Ryan (DCADV Executive Director) and Eleanor Torres (DVCC Executive Director).

1 in 3 teens in the U.S. is a victim of physical, sexual, emotional or verbal abuse from a dating partner, according to Futures with Violence. And since LoveisRespect.org notes that violent behavior typically begins between the ages of 12 and 18, awareness of this issue is imperative. In Delaware, the 2013 YRBS survey found that 8.9% of high school students have experienced physical dating violence. Unhealthy relationships can start early and last a lifetime. Many teens do not report dating violence out of embarrassment, fear and lack of education of the signs. This makes TDVAPM an especially important month for Delawareans in which teens and their families can learn about this prevalent concern.

“Teen dating violence is a problematic issue that requires dissemination of information as well as collaboration with teens statewide. When girls and young women are among the highest rated for intimate partner violence, devoting an entire month to increasing awareness is more than necessary. When the community focuses on healthy relationship building, our young members have a solid foundation in which to stand,” says Sue Ryan, Executive Director of the Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

“Every person has the right to healthy, respectful and safe relationships. Whether it’s physical, emotional or verbal abuse, we must continue working to ensure our youth are educated on how to protect themselves and have the opportunity to enjoy relationships free of abuse,” Governor Jack Markell also noted.

In addition to this event and many others held throughout the state, there will be a High School Instagram contest inviting students throughout Delaware to contribute their voice on social media. Participants will take a picture of one of four qualities found in a healthy relationship – Communication, Trust, Equality, or Acceptance; write a description of their photo and the quality they chose; and post on Instagram using #RelationshipRespect2016. The top 3 entries will win a monetary prize and help circulate positive, healthy relationship messages throughout their networks.

February 9, 2016 is Wear Orange Day, a national day of awareness to commemorate Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month and promoting healthy relationships. The hashtag #Orange4Love and #TeenDVMonth can be used for sharing and updating messages..

A complaint filed by Attorney General Matt Denn’s office asks the state Superior Court to declare the Gold Club near Wilmington a criminal nuisance property and to order that it be closed.

As stated in the complaint, the action comes as the result of numerous arrests at, near or coming from the property for shootings, vehicle thefts, illegal drug possession, assaults, stabbings and other illegal activity. There have been shootings in August 2012, March 2014, May 2014, September 2015 and this past Sunday, November 15, 2015, with the most recent shooting a homicide.

The complaint was filed under the under the state’s Criminal Nuisance Abatement Act, which empowers to Attorney General “to eliminate locations that otherwise attract criminals, violence and the threat of violence,” as stated in Title 10, Section 7102 of the Delaware Code.

“Police have been called to the Gold Club at least 237 times in the last four years,” said Attorney General Matt Denn. “Shutting the doors of a business which consistently brings crime, drugs, and violence to the area is in the interest of public safety.”

The property where the club stands, 1031 South Market St, Wilmington is owned by the Kent Manor Inn, and the Gold Club itself is owned by PML Clubs, Inc.  Both Kent Manor Inn, Inc. and PML Clubs, Inc. Kent Manor Inn, Inc. and PML Clubs, Inc. are owned and operated by Michael Rose.

A copy of the complaint can be found HERE.

WILMINGTON, Del. – The Delaware Criminal Justice Council is pleased to announce the agency has been awarded $6,099,408 under the FFY2015 VOCA-Victims Assistance Formula Grant Program. This amount more than triples the average award amount the State receives annually. This comes through an award to the States from the United States Department of Justice, Office of Justice Program, Office for Victims of Crime (OVC).

The primary purpose of the VOCA-Victims Assistance grant is to the support the provision of direct services to victims of crime. Services are defined as “those efforts that respond to the emotional and physical needs of crime victims; assist victims of crime to stabilize their lives after victimization; assist victims to understand and participate in the criminal justice system; and provide victims with a measure of safety and security.”

This significant increase will help maintain critical direct services offered to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, and crimes designated as “underserved victimizations” such as elder abuse, services to survivors of homicide, services to victims/survivors of DUI, victims of hate and bias crimes, assault, human trafficking, and other violent crimes.

“This significant increase in VOCA-Assistance funding will allow the Criminal Justice Council to work with our partner agencies to provide holistic services to the population that needs them most” said Criminal Justice Council Executive Director, Christian Kervick. “Making victims of crime whole and assisting in their recovery is of paramount importance to the Council” Kervick added.

The CJC distributes the funding in the form of subgrants to support services provided by the State, local units of government, and non-profit victims service agencies.

The Victims Services Advisory Committee of the CJC, Chaired by Department of Correction Commissioner Robert Coupe, will be developing a strategy to ensure the funds are distributed in accordance with the federal guidelines, and to ensure the response to all victims and survivors of crime have access to services when, and where, they are most in need.

“We understand better than ever how the destructive impact of crime on victims and their families can last for years beyond the investigation and prosecution of a case” said Commissioner Coupe. “That’s why the Victims Services Advisory Committee, with representatives from the victim community, advocates, service-providers, members of law enforcement and others, works to ensure that our State supports a full range of services that help victims engage with the justice system and receive the counseling, treatment, and support they need to rebuild and strengthen their lives.”

Created as part of the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 (VOCA), the Crime Victims Fund is made up entirely of fines and other monetary penalties paid by Federal criminal offenders, not by taxpayers. The money is then distributed to a variety of programs that help victims of all types of crimes, most of which is passed through state agencies to thousands of local programs that assist victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, families of homicide victims, victims of drunk driving crashes and other violent crimes.

Please contact Maureen Monagle at 302-577-8442 for more information about the VOCA-Assistance Grant Program in Delaware.

WILMINGTON, Del. – Due to downtown Wilmington closures and difficulties with mass transit scheduled for this week pertaining to the arrival of the Pope, the public hearing scheduled for this Thursday night, September 24, 2015 from 6 to 8 pm at the Hilltop Lutheran Neighborhood Center has been postponed.  The Wilmington public hearing will be rescheduled.

A notice will be released once the new date is confirmed.

All other public hearings will take place as scheduled.  We look forward to the public’s participation.

The public hearings give citizens of Delaware the opportunity to discuss criminal justice issues facing our state with members of the CJC. People will have the opportunity to tell the panel what they think are the most important issues facing the state which will allow for their input to be used in developing strategies for improving the criminal justice process in Delaware.

Some of the CJC membership includes the Attorney General, The Public Defender, Chief Judges of all State Courts, Cabinet Secretaries, Chiefs of Police and public members.

The other hearings and locations remain as originally announced. They are:

Thursday, Oct.1^st (6-8PM) at the Canaan Baptist Church ( 3011 New Castle Ave., New Castle, DE)

Thursday, Oct. 8^th (6-8PM)  at the Dover Police Meeting Room (400 S. Queen St., Dover, DE)

Thursday, Oct. 22^nd (6-8PM) at the Georgetown Public Library (123 W. Pine St., Georgetown, DE)

WILMINGTON, Del. – The Delaware Criminal Justice Council is pleased to announce the agency has been awarded a federal grant through the Bureau of Justice Assistance * (BJA) for the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) in the amount of $1,168,662.00.

The SAKI Initiative, was made available through a competitive grant program administered by BJA, supports the comprehensive reform of jurisdictions’ approaches to evidence found in sexual assault kits that have never been submitted to a crime laboratory for testing.

The SAKI project will be strategically implemented in the State, per the conditions laid out by the grant requirements, and the specific benchmarks approved by BJA.

“In addition to the funding that will help test some of the highest priority sexual assault kits, this award will allow the Criminal Justice Council to convene a multidisciplinary team of experts to develop strategies and protocols to ensure that this issue is addressed in a meaningful way moving forward,” said Christian Kervick, Executive Director of The Criminal Justice Council.  “These funds will certainly go to improving the Criminal Justice System and allowing for survivors of sexual assault to begin their process of healing” Kervick added.

The first phase of this project requires a comprehensive inventory of all unsubmitted sexual assault kits in storage to determine the number of kits, identify the kits should take priority and those that may be eligible/qualify for testing. At this point, we do not know how many kits will qualify for testing. The goal of this project is to assist police departments that may have kits in storage that were never ordered for testing.

In addition to the inventory and testing; the CJC will create a Multi-Disciplinary Group that will assist in the development of a victim-centered comprehensive strategy to improve Delaware’s response to sexual assault.

The CJC believed to be in a strong position in submitting our application to address a statewide issue, in large part this was due to the collaborative relationship we have with various agencies; and due to the services already established by the police based advocates in Delaware. The police-based victims’ advocates employ a trauma-informed, victim-centered approach with their work to all victims of violent crimes, statewide. They are trained in providing sensitive information to victims as part of any investigation. That is a critical piece of the work of this project.

It should be noted that victims have a choice whether to participate in the criminal justice process. Not all victims want to move forward with investigations and prosecutions, for a variety of reasons. For that reason, we will continue to be very mindful of developing of victim-centered practices if the State has the ability to test unsubmitted kits.

In the months of researching and developing strategies to address this issue, the CJC pulled from the expertise of our local and national partners. Law enforcement officers and police-based victims’ assistants, representing the Delaware State Police, the New Castle County Police, and Wilmington Police Department were incredibly helpful by providing in-put in the development of the application. The CJC also worked with staff from the Delaware Department of Justice and the Division of Forensic Science, the Victims’ Compensation Assistance Program, Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Coordinators, and rape crisis advocates.

No one can do this work alone. The Criminal Justice Council would like to acknowledge the victims, survivors and our professional partners (mentioned above) who have influenced our work. We also want to thank the Delaware Police Chiefs Council for their support in this initiative.

The CJC would also like to make sure everyone is aware of the supportive resources for victims and survivors of sexual violence:

24/7 Rape Crisis Hotlines in Delaware:

New Castle County: The YWCA of Delaware’s Sexual Assault Response Center (SARC): 800-773-8570

Kent & Sussex County: ContactLifeline’s Rape Crisis Line: 800-262-9800

Support for victims/survivors on campus of Colleges/Universities:

UD Sexual Offense Support (SOS) Program: 302-831-2226

DSU’s Rape Crisis line: 302-420-5751

Counseling Services Specializing in Sexual Assault:

Survivors of Abuse in Recovery, Inc. (SOAR): Offers individual and group therapy for victims and survivors Statewide. Please contact the offices at the numbers provided:

New Castle County (302) 655-9049

Kent County: (302) 422-3811

Sussex County: (302) 645-4903

Police Based Victims Services:

Delaware State Police/Delaware Victims Center for other information or referrals: 1-800-VICTIM-1

Wilmington PD Victim Services 302-576-3622

New Castle County Police Victim Services 302-395-8135

Newark Police Victim Services 302-366-7110

Dover Police Victims Services: 302-736-7134

For more information about this project, please contact Maureen Monagle at the Criminal Justice Council.

*The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the United States Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the SMART Office