• Increased awareness about family violence
• Provided convenient, comprehensive, and confidential services in a one-stop shop setting
• Provided a full-time attorney to obtain civil protection orders at no cost to the victim
• Facilitated the passage of a domestic violence criminal code that would mandate arrests for domestic violence related crimes
• Increased reporting of domestic violence related crimes

With the organization of the FVVS these immediate goals were realized. FVVS ultimately hopes to promote a reduction in the number of domestic violence related crimes occurring within the Choctaw population.

» August 1998

The Tribe hired attorney Paula Broome to implement the Stop Violence Against Indian Women grant project and to represent victims of domestic violence in obtaining civil protection orders.


» October/November/December 1998

Nann K. Smith was named as the new director for the Tribe’s Department of Family & Community Services. Smith proposed a reorganization of the Department of Family & Community Services that received approval from the Tribal Council. The reorganization included the conglomeration of all domestic violence related grant projects into one program, thereafter known as Family Violence & Victim’s Services.


» February 1999

FVVS moved into its own building and began accepting clients into the program. Heather Lowry, Legal Secretary for the FVVS program, is hired. She also serves as notary public.


» April 2000

Tribal Council adopts Domestic Violence Criminal Code and mandates that law enforcement and the judiciary complete comprehensive training on the new code prior to the code’s enactment.


» June 2000

FVVS sponsors a three-day workshop to train law enforcement and the judiciary on the Domestic Violence Criminal Code. The workshop is also attended by personnel from various tribal agencies that deal with domestic violence cases.


» July 2000

Choctaw Tribal Code, Chapter 10, Crimes Involving Domestic Violence was officially enacted.


» August 2000

Protocol Committee formed to revise child physical and sexual abuse protocols and to write protocols dealing with domestic violence cases.


» October 2000

Domestic Violence Transportation and Referral Protocol was approved by the Tribal Chief and enacted. The protocols deal with the interaction between FVVS, law enforcement, Choctaw Social Services, Choctaw Behavioral Health, Choctaw Office of the Attorney General, and the Choctaw Health Center in dealing with domestic violence clients.


» January 2001

Received Victims of Crime Act Grant from the Mississippi Department of Public Safety that enables FVVS to hire a therapist and buy a program vehicle.

» March/ April 2002

Cheryl Smith was hired as the Woman's Advocate/ Educator. Cheryl had worked previously for the Choctaw Tribe for years as a liason in the Choctaw Health Center. In April 2002, Kim Edwards, a liscensed professional counselor, was hired as the Victim Assistance Therepist. Kim had ten years previous experince in counseling.

» September 2002

FVVS and the Tribe’s Women’s Wellness Center receives authorization and funding to implement a Domestic Violence Response Team Pilot Project. The pilot project is funded by Indian Health Services/Administration for Children and Families and operated through the Choctaw Health Center. The purpose of the pilot project is to develop a screening tool that can be used by medical personnel to identify victims of domestic violence, to provide training to medical personnel, to develop community awareness activities that will promote domestic violence as a public health issue, and to develop a public service video.


» November 2003

FVVS is awarded a $10,000 grant from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. This award was given as part of Harvard’s Honoring Contributions in the Governance of American Indian Nations (Honoring Nations) program, which identifies, celebrates and shares exemplary tribal government programs among the more than 550 Indian nations in the United States.


» August 2004

Tina Scott is hired as the new FVVS Program Director and Lay Advocate. Ms Scott is a Tribal member who speaks fluent Choctaw. She holds a Master's Degree in Public Health from the University of Oklahoma . While Lay Advocates are able to represent clients in Tribal Court, FVVS continues to contract with attorneys for legal representation in court.

FVVS is awarded the Rural Domestic Violence and Child Victimization Grant from the Department of Justice. This grant allows for the Women's Advocate to be hired full-time and an outreach specialist for community education and awareness activities. This grant helps the FVVS pay for legal services and hire an outreach worker in addition to other key services.

» September/October 2004

Attorney Chris Engels is hired by the Department of Family and Community Services to assist with domestic violence cases through the Family Violence and Victim's Services Program. He meets with the client after in-take to prepare for protection order hearing. He can provide representation on residual matters stemming from the filings of petitions for protection and the entry of protection orders, including petitions for contempt, motions to modify, motions to dismiss and motions to quash.

Brenda Joe is hired by the Family Violence and Victims Services Program as an Outreach Specialist. She informs the community of options available through FVVS and other agencies both on and off the Reservation. She also provides information to the public about domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and child abuse. She also conducts public awareness activities in all Choctaw communities and participates in all in-service staff development activities.

» November 2005

The Tribe is awarded the Legal Assistance to Vicitims Grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to hire a full time attorney for the FVVS Program.

» February 2006

Lanisha Bell is hired as the Victim Assistance Coordinator. Lanisha is a licensed social worker. She recieved her Bachelor of Social Work degree from Delta State University.

» April 2006

Katherine Mills was hired as the FVVS Program Attorney. Katie recieved her Juris Doctor degree from Mississippi College School of Law in 2005. She was a practicing attorney in Jackson before accepting the position with the FVVS Program. Katie is licensed to practice in all Mississippi State Courts, the United States District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Mississippi, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the Choctaw Tribal Courts.

 

Domestic violence, once a taboo subject, is now a hot topic within the judiciary, law enforcement, and at Tribal Council meetings. Victims of abuse no longer need to feel helpless or hopeless. FVVS cannot and does not solve all of the problems associated with family violence but the program does provide victims with adequate resources to begin the journey to becoming a survivor.

Reporting and Arrest

During the years of 2000, 2001 and 2002, Choctaw Law & Order received 1,111 calls involving domestic related crimes. In contrast, during the years of 1998 and 1999, Choctaw Law & order received a total of 542 calls. On average, the number of calls increased by 37% during the years of 2000, 2001, and 2002.

FVVS first began tracking domestic violence related arrests on July 1, 2003, at the time the domestic violence criminal code was enacted. The number of arrests for domestic violence related crimes in 2000 was 133. In 2001 and 2002, the number of arrests totaled 152 and 156, respectively. As of September 30, 2003, there had been 91 domestic violence related arrests if compared to the same time period in 2002.

Number of Victims Contacted by FVVS Pursuant
to Police Incident Reports

In late March of 2000, FVVS began making follow-up contact with every victim of domestic violence identified in police incident reports. The number of victims contacted per year is as follows: Year 2000 (9.5 months) =197; Year 2001 = 186; Year 2002 = 274; Year 2003 (as of October 17, 2003) =168. These numbers do not reflect the clients served prior to March of 2000 or clients who have served well over 1000 victims of abuse since 1999.

Number of Clients Served by the FVVS Attorney

In the year prior to the employment of a full-time attorney, twelve petitions were filed for victims of abuse. During the period from October 1, 2002, to December 31, 2002, the FVVS attorney consulted with 184 clients, obtained 65 emergency protection orders, 19 protection orders following a hearing on the merits and 20 court-approved consent agreements. Since 1999, the attorney has obtained more than 250 court orders for clients needing protection from their abuser.

Additionally FVVS has graduated more than 200 perpetrators from the Batterer's Re-Education Program since February of 2000.