NCJ Number
208490
Date Published
January 2002
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This report provides an overview of the work of the Minnesota Interagency Task Force on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention, definitions and facts about domestic violence and sexual assault, recommendations to prevent and reduce domestic violence and sexual assault, and an inventory of State and community-based programs.
Abstract
The existence of domestic violence and sexual assault in the communities and neighborhoods is of great concern in the State of Minnesota. In 2002, the Minnesota Legislature created the Interagency Task Force on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention (IATF) to develop a statewide strategic plan to address and formulate the following recommendations on domestic violence and sexual assault: (1) how to reduce incidents of domestic violence and sexual assault; (2) how to coordinate existing resources at all government levels to reduce the number of incidents; (3) changes in policies and laws; and (4) increase services and resources. This report presents nine recommendations developed by the IATF to address domestic violence and sexual assault. Highlights of these recommendations include: (1) identify gaps and overlaps in prevention education; (2) support the reduction of probation officer caseloads, specifically with domestic violence and sexual assault offenders; (3) breaking the cycle of violence through comprehensive, multi-system interventions for children exposed to domestic violence and sexual assault; (4) safe transitional housing for victims; (5) examine the need for a statewide clearinghouse for information and research on best practices; and (6) mandated legislation for adequate funding to support advocacy programs in every county. The report also provides statistics on domestic violence and sexual assault and State and community-based programs. References