According to the Maine Department of Public Safety, domestic violence assaults increased more than 11 percent last year, from 4,813 cases in 2002 to 5,364 in 2003. In addition, of the 17 murders in Maine in 2003, eight of those deaths stemmed from domestic violence. That means nearly half the murders in Maine occurred at the hands of a family or household members or those involved in a relationship.
"Domestic violence continues to be a serious problem in the State of Maine. We must team up with law enforcement agencies, social support programs, families, and neighbors to stop the unneccessary abuse and acts of violence that devastate too many families and end too many lives," Snowe and Collins said in a joint statement. "These federal funds will assist in expanding the state's ongoing efforts to reduce domestic violence in communities throughout Maine." The federal grants were allocated as follows:
• $2,800,000 to the Violence Against Women Technical Assistance Program, to develop and establish national criminal justice and victim advocacy organizations to address domestic violence and ensure responsive efforts to needs of local communities.
• $516,882 to the Arrest Policies and Enforcement of Protection Orders Programs, to enhance victim safety and offender accountability in cases of domestic violence by encouraging jurisdictions to implement mandatory and pro-arrest policies as an effective domestic violence intervention.
• $461,326 to Title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, to further assistance to grantees to learn from experts and one another about how to overcome obstacles and incorporate promising practices in their efforts to address violence again women.
• $247,406 to the Legal Assistance for Victims Grant Program, to provide legal services to low-income victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
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