Federal panel outlines programs and gaps in response to missing and murdered Black women and girls

Federal officials outlined a range of grant programs, alert systems and cross-agency efforts aimed at finding missing and murdered Black women and girls, but repeatedly cautioned that federal efforts and resources remain insufficient.

Brent Cohen, acting Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs, told the convening that OJP offices work across juvenile justice, victims services and forensic programs to address both prevention and identification. "We have a range of work happening across our offices," Cohen said, citing OJJDP funding for AMBER Alert efforts and OJJDP's primary funding role for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. He described a newly launched Children's Justice Project to accelerate identification of found-but-unidentified youth.

Cohen also described two new OJP efforts: a Child Victimization Prosecution Project to train prosecutors on working with child victims involved in juvenile-justice or child-welfare systems, and an Office for Victims of Crime expansion that includes a solicitation called "Meeting the Basic Needs of Crime Victims." He said OVC has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking intended to reduce subjective exclusions from victim compensation decisions after earlier cases in which families were denied compensation because adjudicators considered victims' prior conduct.

Rosie Hidalgo, Director of the Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women, said OVW has prioritized culture-specific, community-based grants and a ‘‘coordinated community response’’ model that intentionally includes organizations led by and for communities of color. "Those closest to the problems are closest to the solution," Hidalgo said, describing growth in grants and technical assistance for culturally specific providers and pilot work on firearms-related response.

Hidalgo said OVW is funding 12 pilot sites under a firearms training and technical assistance project and recently released a prosecution framework developed with prosecutors, survivors and advocates. She described restorative-practices pilots authorized in VAWA 2022 — ‘‘11 pilot projects across the country, dollars about $1.5 million each over a five-year period,’’ she said — and an $8 million evaluation initiative to accompany the pilots.

Stephanie Hines, Director of the Executive Office for United States Attorneys, said U.S. Attorneys' offices have prioritized disrupting trafficking networks and targeting violent-crime and firearms cases that intersect with domestic violence. She also pointed to the 2022 revision of the Attorney General's victim and witness guidelines and the placement of victim-witness coordinators in U.S. Attorney offices to work more closely with families.

Shaundell Dawson, Director of the Office of Family Violence Prevention and Services at HHS, described FVPSA-funded shelters, hotlines and culturally specific services. Dawson said FVPSA serves about 1.3 million people annually, including roughly 458,000 Black and African American survivors, and described American Rescue Plan investments of $49,500,000 that expanded culturally specific services. She said Congress also provided $7,500,000 to make a permanent program that further expanded reach to additional organizations.

The session included a public recitation of names of missing people — a moment panelists described as a call to action. After organizers read names, Cohen paused and reflected: "This wasn't just a roster of names. These are people, humans, sisters, daughters, nieces, aunts, women and girls who have never been given the recognition and respect they deserve." He reiterated officials' view that federal efforts exist but are not yet sufficient and emphasized continued collaboration with state, local and community partners.

What this means: Officials described multiple, complementary federal programs — from alerts and NiJ-supported forensics and NamUs identification work to OVW grants and HHS services — and announced pilot projects and solicitations intended to expand culturally specific services, trauma-informed practices and restorative options. But panelists and survivors at the convening repeatedly noted gaps in data, funding and local trust that limit the effectiveness of those programs.

Next steps: Panelists said pilots and solicitations will proceed in the coming months, OVC's proposed rulemaking on victim compensation is expected to move toward a final rule, and agencies plan continued coordination with community-led organizations and local jurisdictions.

Sources: session remarks and program names as stated by panelists at the convening (Office of Justice Programs; Office on Violence Against Women; Executive Office for United States Attorneys; Office of Family Violence Prevention and Services).