Here in Illinois, domestic violence continues to be a problem for many residents. Whether it be emotional or physical abuse by a spouse or other family member, the impact of the abuse and the resulting emotional distress can be great and last long after a specific event. To this end, local officials recently received a federal grant aimed directly at curtailing domestic violence in Winnebago County.
Joining only 11 other counties across the country, the roughly $200,000 grant is meant to help officials here in Winnebago County review the current community and justice system responses to domestic violence. The goal is to help prevent deaths between spouses and other close partners by improving the identification and subsequent services for those at high-risk.
In the end, officials hope that the grant will see an improvement in the overall process and coincide with a reduced risk of domestic violence-related deaths in the Rockford area. The grant is being funded by the Department of Justice/Office on Violence Against Women Domestic Violence Homicide Prevention Demonstration Initiative.
While Winnebago county residents may see the benefits of this grant in the future, it is important for anyone currently suffering from domestic abuse to understand their legal options. For example, victims of domestic violence may be able to obtain an order of protection from a family law court. In some situations, an emergency or temporary order may be granted if the victim believes they are in more immediate danger, while a plenary order of protection may be granted as a long-term solution. Knowing that these options exist may be an important first step to obtaining protection in a domestic violence situation and could help avoid a more serious situation in the future.
Source: WREX.com, “Winnebago County receives domestic violence prevention grant,” Samantha Jeffreys, April 26, 2013