Each year the federal government spends $1 billion for domestic violence programs. But there is no evidence that these programs actually reduce abuse. Worse, one widely-used strategy – mandatory arrest for partner assault – has been shown to place victims at greater risk of violence.
To find out what’s gone wrong, RADAR combed through numerous reports from the GAO, OMB, and Office of the Inspector General to find out how well federal agencies administer domestic violence (DV) programs. We reached 3 conclusions:
- DV programs are largely unaccountable to the public.
- Federal agencies frequently mismanage DV grant monies.
- Recipients of federal money often engage in financial misconduct, embezzlement, and fraud.
These conclusions are explained in RADAR’s upcoming Special Report, “$1 Billion for DV Programs that Misuse Taxpayer Money and Place Victims at Risk.”
Today we will be meeting with staffers on Capitol Hill to discuss the report, and on Monday we will be issuing a national press release.
The report is available here (.pdf file).
