Department of Justice - Center for Changing Our Campus Culture

The mission of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is to enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law; to ensure public safety against threats foreign and domestic; to provide federal leadership in preventing and controlling crime; to seek just punishment for those guilty of unlawful behavior; and to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans.

Here you will find newly released materials, resources and information focused on the criminal justice response to sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking and the links to the DOJ’s offices that are charged with assisting campuses with addressing these crimes.

Office on Violence Against Women

The mission of the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), a component of the U.S. Department of Justice, is to provide federal leadership in developing the national capacity to reduce violence against women and administer justice for and strengthen services to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

Through the administration of the Grants to Reduce Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence and Stalking on Campus and the Technical Assistance Programs, OVW supports the development of effective culturally-relevant campus-based programming that builds upon strong campus and community partnerships with the goals of strengthening services to victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking and promoting multifaceted prevention strategies within the campus community.

Office for Victims of Crime

The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), one of seven components within the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice is committed to enhancing the Nation’s capacity to assist crime victims and to providing leadership in changing attitudes, policies, and practices to promote justice and healing for all victims of crime.

OVC is dedicated to a constant improvement in the national response to crime victims by: 1) identifying emerging needs and gaps in existing services; 2) enhancing the skill sets of service providers to better meet these needs; and 3) promoting greater public awareness of the issues that crime victims face.

Bureau of Justice Assistance

Bureau of Justice Assistance’s (BJA) mission is to provide leadership and services in grant administration and criminal justice policy development to support local, state, and tribal justice strategies to achieve safer communities.

BJA supports programs and initiatives in the areas of law enforcement, justice information sharing, countering terrorism, managing offenders, combating drug crime and abuse, adjudication, advancing tribal justice, crime prevention, protecting vulnerable populations, and capacity building. Here you will find funding opportunities, materials, and publications that build the capacity of campuses to enhance its criminal justice response.

National Institute of Justice

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) — the research, development and evaluation agency of the U.S. Department of Justice — is dedicated to improving knowledge and understanding of crime and justice issues through science. NIJ provides objective and independent knowledge and tools to reduce crime and promote justice, particularly at the state and local levels.

Community Oriented Policing Services

The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) is the component within the U.S. Department of Justice dedicated to the concept that trust and mutual respect between police and the communities they serve is critical to public safety. This concept is the foundation of community policing and ensures that police and community stakeholders partner in solving our nation’s crime challenges. Community policing is a law enforcement philosophy that focuses on community partnerships, problem-solving and organizational transformation.

The COPS Office mission is to advance public safety through community policing. Here you will find funding opportunities, resources, technical assistance and information to support and enhance law enforcement’s response to sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking.

Federal Bureau of Investigation

As an intelligence-driven and a threat-focused national security organization with both intelligence and law enforcement responsibilities, the mission of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is to protect and defend the United States against terrorist and foreign intelligence threats, to uphold and enforce the criminal laws of the United States, and to provide leadership and criminal justice services to federal, state, municipal, and international agencies and partners.

Through its work including the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) Campus Liaison Initiative which designates an FBI agent or task force officer from every field office to coordinate with campus public safety officers and other school personnel—with the overriding goal of addressing terror threats and preventing attacks. The JTTF agents reach out regularly to campus police and school administrators. Here you will find threat information, training and technical assistance opportunities, and lists of threat indicators, etc.

Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring and Apprehending, Registering and Tracking

The Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring and Apprehending, Registering and Tracking (SMART) mission is to protect the public by supporting the national implementation of a comprehensive sex offender registration and notification system.

The SMART Office was authorized by the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 to: 1) administer the standards for the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Program set forth in Title 1 of the Adam Walsh Act; 2) administer grant programs relating to sex offender registration and notification authorized by the Adam Walsh Act and other grant programs authorized by the Adam Walsh Act as directed by the Attorney General; 3) cooperate with and provide technical assistance to states, the District of Columbia, principal U.S. territories, units of local government, tribal governments, and other public and private entities involved in activities related to sex offender registration or notification or to other measures for the protection of children or other members of the public from sexual abuse or exploitation; and 4) perform such other functions as the Attorney General may delegate.