Montana Office of Victim Services Receives Encourage-to-Arrest Grant

September 13, 2007 -- HELENA – Montana Attorney General Mike McGrath said Thursday that the state's Office of Victim Services has received a two-year, $865,000 grant to continue the Encourage to Arrest Project.

The Encourage to Arrest Project began in 2002, aiming to reduce the occurrence of domestic violence and improve enforcement of orders of protection.

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The new grant will go toward helping tribal courts modify case management systems to make it simpler to share information about protective orders, and the Office of Victim Services will continue the Hope Card project.

"The Hope Card places essential information about orders of protection on a small, sturdy, portable plastic card similar to a driver license or ID," said Matthew Dale, director of the Office of Victim Services.

Dale said the state will also use the funds to work with Montana Legal Services to develop comprehensive victim safety services for victims of domestic violence who may have limited abilities speaking and reading English.

The grant is from the U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women. The office of U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D-Mont.) notified the Montana Department of Justice of the award on September 11.

Source: Montana Attorney General