Department
District Attorney
Requested Action (Identify appropriate Action or Motion, purpose, cost, timeframe, etc.)
title
Request approval of a Sub-recipient Grant Contract between the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence (GCDV), BJA FY 2022 Upholding the Rule of Law and Preventing Wrongful Convictions Program, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office for Victims of Crime, Grant No. 15PBJA-22-GG-03909-WRNG grant and Fulton County, Office of District Attorney, Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU) named as a sub-awardee in the Grant in an amount not to exceed $245,000.00. Effective upon BOC approval through the term of the Grant. 100% grant funded. (APPROVED UPON ADOPTION OF THE CONSENT AGENDA)
body
Requirement for Board Action (Cite specific Board policy, statute or code requirement)
O.C.G.A. § 36-10-1 requires that all contracts entered into by the Board of Commissioners on behalf of the County shall be in writing and entered on the minutes.
Strategic Priority Area related to this item (If yes, note strategic priority area below)
Justice and Safety
Commission Districts Affected
All Districts ☒
District 1 ☐
District 2 ☐
District 3 ☐
District 4 ☐
District 5 ☐
District 6 ☐
Is this a purchasing item?
No
Summary & Background (First sentence includes Agency recommendation. Provide an executive summary of the action that gives an overview of the relevant details for the item.) The District Attorney requests approval of the Grant Contract between the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, BJA FY 2022 Upholding the Rule of Law and Preventing Wrongful Convictions Program, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office for Victims of Crime, Grant No. 15PBJA-22-GG-03909-WRNG grant and Fulton County, Office of District Attorney, Conviction Integrity Unit named as a sub-awardee in the Grant contract with the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence
Through the grant, the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence service as the lead applicant and the Fulton County District Attorney as the sub-recipient, will work together to accomplish the identification of women- with specific emphasis on survivors of domestic violence- with viable innocence wrongful conviction claims and address problems regarding the review or development of strategies that could prevent wrongful convictions. This grant will allow the GCDV to partner with CIU to ensure claims of Actual Innocence from survivors of domestic violence, particularly those from Fulton County, are adequately reviewed and litigated.
Scope of Work: Fulton County District Attorney’s Office formed its CIU in August 2019 to increase the likelihood of identifying individuals with viable innocence claims. Through the grant funding CIU will review claims of Actual Innocence from survivors of domestic violence, particularly those from Fulton County to determine if the claim needs to be litigated.
Community Impact: - The CDC estimates 1 in 4 women are victims of domestic violence. While 25% is an alarming statistic, the percentage of victims dramatically increases if you look at the female population in U.S. prisons. According to their 2016 study, Overlooked: Women and Jails in an Era of Reform, the Vera Institute estimates 86% of women in prison have suffered sexual violence, 77% partner violence and 60% caregiver violence. As of June 1, 2018, the population of Georgia’s four women’s prison was 3940. Using the above estimates, there are between 985 (25%) and 3,3 (86%) women currently in Georgia’s prisons who have survived domestic violence. Domestic violence is insidious. In 2011, the Southern Illinois University Carbondale conducted a study that concluded that, “While the lifelong impact of domestic violence is hard to calculate, victims of such abuse are more likely to suffer depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, a feeling of worthlessness and/or helplessness, and many exhibit symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder”. One thing for certain, living in a violent household renders the victims susceptible to their abuser. This susceptibility results in incarceration in two ways: (1) the abuser which may lead to women commit crimes or (2) the woman may become so frightened for her life and strikes out at her abuser.
Department Recommendation: The Department Recommends Approval
Project Implications: . While finding wrongfully convicted individuals is always difficult, finding the wrongfully convicted in women’s prisons is particularly daunting. Although, traditional innocence organizations focus most of their resources in dealing with cases involving DNA evidence, the challenge in reviewing post-conviction claims of innocence wrongful conviction claims involving female defendants is that DNA evidence is rarely found in these cases. Allowing innocent women to remain in prison because their cases are hard to reopen does not serve public safety. Only by ensuring the right person is convicted of the right crime, can we ensure the safety of all our citizens
Community Issues/Concerns: There are no Community Issues
Department Issues/Concerns: There are no Department Issues
Fiscal Impact / Funding Source
Funding Lin
Funding Line 2:
461-480-GCAD