District of Columbia

The Commission on Legal Problems of the Elderly (Commission) is an entity of the American Bar Association (ABA). Its goal is to examine and respond to law-related needs of older persons in the United States through policy development, education, and the provision of technical assistance. The Commission does not provide direct legal services or make referrals to private lawyers. The Commission can, however, help connect people with the free legal services/legal aid programs serving older persons in the area in which they live.

The Urban Institute conducts research, program evaluation, and policy analysis on a broad range of social, economic and governance issues. These issues range from education and health care policy to criminal justice and housing. Its research on sexual violence focuses on services to victims of domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, and sexual assault; civil, criminal and family courts; child protection agencies, and community-based treatment providers. Reports of completed and on-going projects are available.

Sexual Assault Report is an independent newsletter bringing together ideas from experts to keep readers current on legal developments and strategies, medical and psychological research. SAR also presents other programs and innovations on sexual assault that help to support those protecting, assisting, counseling and treating the victims of sexual assault and for enforcement officials, prosecutors, judges and corrections professionals.

The Office of Minority Health Resource Center (OMHRC) is a national resource center and referral service on minority health. Established in 1987 by the Office of Minority Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, OMHRC collects and distributes information on a variety of health topics. These include cardiovascular disease, substance abuse, cancer, violence, diabetes, infant mortality, and HIV/AIDS.

The Office of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) provides national leadership, coordination, and resources to prevent and respond to juvenile delinquency and victimization. OJJDP accomplishes this by supporting states and local communities in their efforts to develop and implement effective and coordinated prevention and intervention programs and improve the juvenile justice system so that it protects the public safety, holds offenders accountable, and provides treatment and rehabilitative services tailored to the needs of families and each individual juvenile.

The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) is the federal focal point for crime victims’ issues. It also administers the Crime Victims Fund deposits authorized under the Victims of Crime Act. These funds support a variety of activities including the victim assistance and victim compensation grants, training and technical assistance to victim service and criminal justice system professionals, and services for federal crime victims and Native American organizations. OVC works with national, international, state, military, tribal victim assistance, and criminal justice agencies, as well as other professional organizations, to promote fundamental rights and comprehensive services for crime victims.

The National Women’s Law Center has worked since its inception in 1972 to protect and advance the progress of women and girls at work, in school, and in virtually every aspect of their lives. The Center’s staff brings extensive expertise to major subject areas of family economic security, health, employment and education. The Center uses a variety of tools to maximize its impact in bringing women’s concerns to public policy makers, advocates and the public alike, including public policy research, monitoring and analysis; litigation, advocacy and coalition-building; and public education. One of the issues for the National Women’s Law Center is sexual harassment.

National Crime Victim Bar Association, an affiliated program of the National Center for Victims of Crime, educates attorneys, victim service providers, and the general public on the availability and potential of civil legal remedies for crime victims; refers crime victims to qualified counsel; provides technical support to attorneys, particularly through its database, which contains more than 11,000 summaries of civil cases involving crime victims; and advocates through legislation and/or amicus curiae briefs.

The National Council on Child Abuse and Family Violence (NCCAFV) is in its second decade of service to all fifty states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands as a resource center on family violence prevention. NCCAFV’s commitment is to intergenerational family violence prevention — of child abuse, domestic violence (spouse/partner abuse) and elder abuse. NCCAFV provides public awareness and education materials, program and resource development, consultation, and technical assistance and training in the United States and internationally.