Justice Department grants to help S.C. crime victims

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More than $1.3 million in U.S. Department of Justice grants will be used to improve public safety, serve victims of crime and support youth programs in S.C. tribal communities.

“American Indian and Alaska Native communities experience rates of violent crime and domestic abuse that are among the highest in the nation,” Attorney General William P. Barr said in a news release. “The awards announced today underscore the Department of Justice’s deep commitment to improving public safety in tribal communities throughout the United States.”

A total of more than $103 million is being awarded to tribes nationwide under the Justice Department’s Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (.pdf). An additional $113 million is being awarded to 133 applicants under the Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside Program (.pdf).

In South Carolina, the Catawba Indian Nation received $898,003, while the Catawba Indian National Tribal Youth program received $416,030.

“All those within the District of South Carolina deserve to be safe in their communities,” U.S. Attorney Peter McCoy Jr. said. “These awards will go directly to the tribal communities within South Carolina to provide critical resources to this end.”

McCoy also announced more than $33 million in Justice Department grants to assist S.C. crime victims as part of $1.8 billion distributed to victim assistance and compensation programs across the country.

The funds will support programs including children’s advocacy centers, domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers, human trafficking and elder abuse programs, civil legal services, and crime victims’ rights enforcement, as well as victim assistance positions in prosecutors’ offices and law enforcement departments.