Cobb Gets Grant to Improve Response to Sexual Assault Victims

MARIETTA, GA -- Cobb’s District Attorney’s office has been awarded a $400,000 federal grant under the Sexual Assault Justice Initiative 2015 Program grant to improve response to sexual assault victims.

The goal of the program funding is to create a victim-centered, coordinated community response to sexual assault by implementing performance measures that look beyond conviction rates to define and measure successful prosecution of sexual assault cases. While the grant has been awarded, funds have not yet been released from OVW to begin the work.

The District Attorney will use awarded funds to hire two victim advocates who will focus specifically on criminal justice response, outreach, and support services to adult victims of sexual assault. Funds will further be used to support a specialized counselor for sexual assault victims with the YWCA of Northwest Georgia Sexual assault Program.

In the DA’s Office, one advocate will focus on pending and incoming sexual assault cases involving adult victims to provide advocacy, support and notification services to those victims. The additional advocate will focus on closed cases and will provide outreach, support and community referral resources to victims of those closed cases to ensure that the needs of the victims continue to be served. Both advocates will report on victim services, outreach, referrals, charge and case disposition, and victim progress for all victims served to research the success of services and prosecution while evaluating victim impact and victim healing.

“The work we do for victims is as essential to the interest of justice as punishment of criminals,” said District Attorney Vic Reynolds. “I am extremely proud of my staff members for their continual efforts to do everything possible to assist victims of crime in this county.”