(Washington, DC, September 12, 2006) — Delegate to Congress Donna M. Christensen is pleased to announce that United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has sent local funding to three agencies in the Virgin Islands.

The Virgin Islands Law Enforcement Planning Commission (LEPC) has received a grant in the amount of $60,000 for the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Formula Grants Program. This program is designed to support State and Local delinquency prevention and intervention efforts and juvenile justice system improvements. For additional information pleased contact LEPC at 8172 Subbase, Suite 3, St. Thomas, VI 00802.

The second grant is for the Virgin Islands Bureau of Corrections in the amount of $91,015 for NIJ FY 06 Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grant Program. The Coverdell funds will be used to improve the quality and timeliness of forensic science and medical examiner services and also to assist in the elimination of backlogs in the analysis of forensic evidence, including controlled substances, firearms examination, forensic pathology, latent prints, questioned documents, toxicology and trace evidence. For additional information regarding this grant please contact the V.I. Bureau of Corrections at 6040 Castle Coakley, Christiansted, St. Croix 00820.

The final grant from DOJ will be distributed to the Women’s Coalition of St. Croix for the Grants to State Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Coalitions Program. The office of Violence Against Women has administered this grant to support state coalition efforts to coordinate victim services within their sate as well as collaborate with other federal state and local entities to respond to violence against women issues affecting their jurisdictions. Statewide domestic violence coalitions provide comparable support to member battered women’s shelters for victims of domestic violence and victim service program. For additional information regarding this funding please contact the Women’s Coalition of St. Croix at P.O. Box 222734,  Christiansted, St. Croix 00822-2734.