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Department of Justice Spearheads Family Justice Center
Initiative
“The President’s Initiative will provide communities with
the resources designed to co-locate coordinated services to domestic violence
victims into one facility.”
—Diane M. Stuart
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Attorney General John Ashcroft announced that the U.S. Department of
Justice (DoJ) will lead a $20 million program to develop comprehensive domestic
violence victim service and support centers in 12 communities across the
country. The unprecedented pilot program, the President’s Family Justice
Center Initiative, will make a victim’s search for help and justice easier by
bringing professionals who provide an array of necessary services together under
one roof.
“Domestic violence is unacceptable, and this Administration is determined
to end the vicious cycle of violence,” said Ashcroft. “Our efforts across
the federal government have made it possible for tens of thousands of women and
their families to renew their hope, reclaim their dignity, change their lives
and protect their children.”
The President’s Family Justice Center Initiative will provide comprehensive
services for domestic violence victims at one location, including medical care,
counseling, law enforcement assistance, social services, employment assistance,
and housing assistance.
The DoJ will award grants to 12 communities nationwide to develop Family
Justice Centers. Communities will be encouraged to look to the family justice
centers in pioneered in San Diego and Indianapolis for the development and
creation of their own centers.
“The President’s Initiative will provide communities with the resources
designed to colocate coordinated services to domestic violence victims into one
facility,” said Diane M. Stuart, director of the Office on Violence Against Women. “The services
provided by the Family Justice Centers will help victims pursue safe and healthy
lives.”
Family Justice Centers are designed to bring together advocates from
non-profit, nongovernmental domestic violence victim services organizations, law
enforcement officers, prosecutors, probation officers, governmental victim
assistants, forensic medical professionals, civil legal attorneys, chaplains and
representatives from community-based organizations into one centralized
location.
Involvement of the faith community is integral to the Family Justice Center
Initiative, as well as to the President’s overall strategy to end domestic
violence. The Justice Department, Department of Health and Human Services, and
the Defense Department are coordinating their efforts to ensure that faith
communities nationwide get the training and tools necessary to help domestic
violence victims in their communities.
“The faith-based component of the Family Justice Center Initiative is
critical to its overall success,” said Office of Justice Programs Assistant
Attorney General Deborah J.
Daniels. “Faith-based institutions are often the first place a domestic
violence victim turns to for support and guidance.”
Eligible applicants include large urban cities, small-medium urban cities,
rural counties, suburban/urban counties, tribal lands and military base
communities. The initiative will include two phases: planning, assessment and
development, and implementation. The President’s Family Justice Center
Initiative Fiscal Year 2004 solicitation is available on the OJP Web site at
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/fundopps.htm.
The Office of Justice Programs provides federal leadership in developing the
nation’s capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice, and assist
victims.
Datebook
JANUARY 2004
11-13
Forensic Medical Investigation Course
Maui, Hawaii
Contact: Mary Dudley, MD, (316)
383- 4505 or mdudley9@cox.net
19-23
Adult/Adolescent Basic SANE Training Course
Warren, Mich.
Contact: Renae Diegel,
(586) 792-0051
26-30
Conference on Child and Family Maltreatment
Town and Country Resort &
Convention Center, San Diego
Contact: Linda Wilson, (858) 576-1700, ext. 4972
26-30
Medicolegal Death Investigator Training Course
Saint Louis University
School of Medicine, Division of Forensic Pathology
St. Louis, Mo.
Contact: Mary Fran Ernst or Julie Howe, (314) 268-5970
FEBRUARY 2004
16-21
American Academy of Forensic Science 56th annual meeting
Adam’s Mark Hotel,
Dallas
www.aafs.org
MARCH 2004
1-4
Forensic Focus 2004
Hyatt New Brunswick, New Brunswick, N.J.
Contact: Marsha Henderson, 800-454-5760
www.forensicfocus.net
8-12
Bloodstain Pattern Analysis Workshop
Metropolitan Police Institute, Miami
Contact: Toby L. Wolson,
(305) 471-3041
13-15
Forensic Medical Investigation Course
Kansas City, Kan.
Contact: Mary Dudley, MD,
(316) 383- 4505 or mdudley9@cox.net
15-20
Forensic Anthropology for Law Enforcement and Death Investigators
Missouri
Western University, Saint Joseph, Mo.
Contact: Ed Waldrip,
(601) 794-6765
17-21
The Assessment and Evaluation of the Adult Sexual Assault Survivor Introductory Course
Rutgers
University, Newark, N.J.
Contact: (973) 353-5895 or http://nursing.rutgers.edu
Off The Bookshelf
 Death Investigator’s Handbook
By Louis N. Eliopulos,
Paladin Press, 2003; 961pages
This epic text, expanded and updated for 2003, assembled by a senior
investigator with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and a former chief
forensic medical investigator is literally the last word on death
investigation principles and practices. This thoroughly exhaustive text presents
— in outline form more often than not — a comprehensive guide to criminal
investigation of every kind of suspicious death imaginable. It offers both a
fascinating, long-term read from cover to cover for the professional or student
who has the time to plow through the enormous body of content, as well as a
quick read for the time-pressured professional who needs a quick fact or a
refresher on a particular aspect of investigation. Easy to read yet
authoritative, this handbook goes the distance for casual and serious reader
alike.
 Interpretation of Bloodstain Evidence at Crime Scenes, Second Edition
By Stuart H. James and William G. Eckert
CRC Press, 1998; 324 pages
Devotees of the study of bloodstains sometimes lament a lack of
appreciation of their discipline, but James and Eckert have created a precise
body of work that appeals to students new to the field as well as to forensic
nurses and other professionals that need a quick introduction to this
fascinating science. As bloodstain interpretation has matured into a respected
branch of forensic science, the need to understand what blood spatter can tell
investigators about a crime has grown in importance. An updated chapter on the
medico-legal aspects of bloodshed at crime scenes recognizes that the discipline
has taken on greater importance because of its role in many high-profile
criminal cases. The updated case studies and improved photographs provide
valuable application of the text’s content within real-life scenarios.
 Forensic Digital Imaging and Photography
By Herbert L. Blitzer and Jack Jacobia,
Academic Press, 2002; 256 pages
Forensic nurses and members of law enforcement with a slightly more advanced
photographic ability will be interested in this text that can show them how to
move from film to digital and still preserve the integrity of the forensic
photographic process. This nuts-and-bolts guide can be dry to readers who are
not particularly technology-savvy, but the chapters on legal considerations and
images in the courtroom merit further study. The text does an admirable job of
addressing the forensic community’s concerns about illicit manipulation of
images, and coaches readers about how to take digital images that will stand up
in court. As expected, the text includes content on CD-ROM.
Reader Feedback
By Tina Brooks
Q: What suggestions can you offer someone seeking additional
funding for a SANE program?
A: “I might suggest that this person approach their district
attorney or the local police agencies for some financial support. They might
also contact the local hospital emergency care centers and inquire if there may
be some monies available from them. Finally, the federal and state governments
are making monies available for these types of projects. Contact your senators
and representatives.”
Joseph T. Dominick, RN, LFD, CMI-3
Chief Deputy Coroner
Allegheny County,
Pa.
A: “I would ask first, what kind of SANE program ...
hospital-based or community-based? Either could be funded through charity
fundraising. Most nonprofit hospitals have auxiliaries which raise funds and
donate to a hospital program; nonprofit boards/foundations which raise money for
hospital based projects (i.e., hospice, pediatric and women’s issues, etc.); and
apply for state, federal and private foundation grant monies; they would have to research those options and set meetings to apply. Community-based programs could possibly apply to the United Way, the local women’s center, the county/city commissioners, or organize local fundraisers as well as apply for state, federal and private foundation grant monies. The grant information requires research but is usually easily accessible with some effort.”
Katherine Scholl, RN, MN, SANE-A, CMI-3, CHS-3, DABFN, FACFE
Clinical Forensic Nurse Examiner/Educator
Wuesthoff Health System
Brevard County, Fla.
A: “Some SANE programs reportedly have had success obtaining
funds from local, community and civic organizations: Junior League, Lions Clubs,
Kiwanis, Rotary Clubs, etc. Another opportunity might be with a hospital foundation,
hospital auxiliary or grant funding available through the County Medical Society.”
Valerie Sievers, MSN, RN, CNS, CEN, SANE-A
Clinical Forensic Nurse Specialist
SANE Coordinator, Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault
Denver, Colo
Mailbag
Wearing Her Heart on Her Sleeve
To the Editor:
On Oct. 5, 2003, I participated in the 19th annual Army 10-Miler Road Race in
Washington, D.C. with my friends, Dave and Elaine, and 18,000 other runners. Race-day weather was perfect. It was a beautiful sunny day with temperatures
reaching into the 60s. I thought it was suitable T-shirt weather so I donned my forensic
nurse T-shirt (the black and white one). My only pre-race apprehension was
that my favorite running shoes had worn out. I had purchased three new pair but
none were really comfortable. Blisters would be inevitable.
The race start and finish lines were at the Pentagon. Right from the start,
several runners took notice of my T-shirt. It caught the attention of other
runners who would comment, “Wow! Cool shirt!” One runner asked, “Have you
ever heard of forensic botany?” As I passed the Kennedy Center, I remember
referring a runner to the forensic nurse Web site for more information.
Someone else asked whose fingerprint was on the back of the shirt.
As the race ticked on and the distance seemed to stretch farther between each
mile marker, it was refreshing to hear other exhausted runners in the pack call
out remarks like, “Hey, haven’t I see you on CSI?” and “I hope I don’t
see you at work tomorrow!” and “I hope I don’t need you at the end of the
race!”
As I crossed the finish line, I felt grateful to the men and women of the
United States Army for their honorable service to our country and also for
sponsoring this wonderful event. I felt proud to be a participant and thankful
that I didn’t have to put my forensic nursing skills to work that day. I’m
also glad that I wore my forensic nurse T-shirt. It gave me the
opportunity to talk to people who seemed curious and interested about our
profession. Actually, I was so busy talking about forensic nursing that I had
forgotten all about the blisters on the bottom of my feet!
Nancy B. Cabelus,
RN, MSN, DABFN
Newington, Conn.
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