ATTORNEY GENERAL MIKE MCGRATH
STATE OF MONTANA
FOR RELEASE: October 25, 2004
CONTACT: Matt Dale, 444-1907; Judy Beck or Lynn Solomon, 444-0582
McGrath Debuts Expanded Crime Victims Website
HELENA – Attorney General Mike McGrath on Monday introduced a redesigned section of the Department of Justice website specifically for crime victims and those who work with them, including a new page devoted to domestic violence.
"Victims have enough problems without having to spend countless hours searching out the resources available to help them," McGrath said. "Through the redesigned website, the Office of Victim Services and Restorative Justice within my office has put a lot of effort into making sure victims have easy access to the full range of information they need."
The new Domestic Violence web page includes information on:
- orders of protection available to victims, as well as links to the necessary forms, detailed instructions on how to complete them, and a list of local advocates who can help victims through the process;
- the Encourage to Arrest Project, which involves local, state, federal and tribal governments and private organizations in an effort to make sure that orders of protection are effectively enforced anywhere in the state, regardless of where they are issued; and
- the Domestic Violence Fatality Review Commission, which reviews select domestic violence homicide cases in an attempt to identify gaps in Montana's system for protecting victims of domestic violence and better coordinate the various agencies responsible for protecting them.
Links throughout the new page take users to a guide to federal firearms laws, relevant sections of Montana law, and related government and private agencies.
In addition, the redesigned Crime Victim Services web section includes:
- an expanded Crime Victim Compensation page with more complete information on the program, including sections on who may apply for benefits and how to apply;
- a new overview of Restorative Justice, an approach that focuses on repairing the harm done by crime by involving all those affected by it – victims, offenders, and their families and neighborhoods;
- the updated Sexual or Violent Offender Registry, redesigned in a more user-friendly format;
- an expanded Victim Services page, including referral information as well as sections
on:
- Victim Advocate of the Year Awards, with a list of past honorees,
- The Bridge Program, which assists mothers who are seeking treatment for addiction to methamphetamine, and their children.
- Links on this page take users to a number of publications for victims, including Talking Helps and A Guide to Survival, reformatted for the website.
- a new Forms and Other Documents page, which lists the various documents available throughout this category.
#