2011 US Code
Title 42 - The Public Health and Welfare
Chapter 46 - JUSTICE SYSTEM IMPROVEMENT (§§ 3701 - 3797ee-1)
Subchapter XII-I - GRANTS TO ENCOURAGE ARREST POLICIES AND ENFORCEMENT OF PROTECTION ORDERS (§§ 3796hh - 3796hh-5)
Section 3796hh - Grants

The purpose of this subchapter is to encourage States, Indian tribal governments, State and local courts (including juvenile courts), tribal courts, and units of local government to treat domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking as serious violations of criminal law.

The Attorney General may make grants to eligible States, Indian tribal governments ¹ State, tribal, territorial, and local courts (including juvenile courts),,² or units of local government for the following purposes:

(1) To implement proarrest programs and policies in police departments, including policies for protection order violations.

(2) To develop policies, educational programs, protection order registries, and training in police departments to improve tracking of cases involving domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Policies, educational programs, protection order registries, and training described in this paragraph shall incorporate confidentiality, and privacy protections for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

(3) To centralize and coordinate police enforcement, prosecution, or judicial responsibility for domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking cases in teams or units of police officers, prosecutors, parole and probation officers, or judges.

(4) To coordinate computer tracking systems to ensure communication between police, prosecutors, parole and probation officers, and both criminal and family courts.

(5) To strengthen legal advocacy service programs for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, including strengthening assistance to such victims in immigration matters.

(6) To educate judges in criminal and civil courts (including juvenile courts) about domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking and to improve judicial handling of such cases.

(7) To provide technical assistance and computer and other equipment to police departments, prosecutors, courts, and tribal jurisdictions to facilitate the widespread enforcement of protection orders, including interstate enforcement, enforcement between States and tribal jurisdictions, and enforcement between tribal jurisdictions.

(8) To develop or strengthen policies and training for police, prosecutors, and the judiciary in recognizing, investigating, and prosecuting instances of domestic violence and sexual assault against older individuals (as defined in section 3002 of this title) and individuals with disabilities (as defined in section 12102(2) of this title).

(9) To develop State, tribal, territorial, or local policies, procedures, and protocols for preventing dual arrests and prosecutions in cases of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, and to develop effective methods for identifying the pattern and history of abuse that indicates which party is the actual perpetrator of abuse.

(10) To plan, develop and establish comprehensive victim service and support centers, such as family justice centers, designed to bring together victim advocates from non-profit, non-governmental victim services organizations, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, probation officers, governmental victim assistants, forensic medical professionals, civil legal attorneys, chaplains, legal advocates, representatives from community-based organizations and other relevant public or private agencies or organizations into one centralized location, in order to improve safety, access to services, and confidentiality for victims and families. Although funds may be used to support the colocation of project partners under this paragraph, funds may not support construction or major renovation expenses or activities that fall outside of the scope of the other statutory purpose areas.

(11) To develop and implement policies and training for police, prosecutors, probation and parole officers, and the judiciary in recognizing, investigating, and prosecuting instances of sexual assault, with an emphasis on recognizing the threat to the community for repeat crime perpetration by such individuals.

(12) To develop, enhance, and maintain protection order registries.

(13) To develop human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing programs for sexual assault perpetrators and notification and counseling protocols.

Eligible grantees are States, Indian tribal governments ¹ State and local courts (including juvenile courts),,² or units of local government that—

(1) certify that their laws or official policies—

(A) encourage or mandate arrests of domestic violence offenders based on probable cause that an offense has been committed; and

(B) encourage or mandate arrest of domestic violence offenders who violate the terms of a valid and outstanding protection order;

(2) demonstrate that their laws, policies, or practices and their training programs discourage dual arrests of offender and victim;

(3) certify that their laws, policies, or practices prohibit issuance of mutual restraining orders of protection except in cases where both spouses file a claim and the court makes detailed findings of fact indicating that both spouses acted primarily as aggressors and that neither spouse acted primarily in self-defense;

(4) certify that their laws, policies, and practices do not require, in connection with the prosecution of any misdemeanor or felony domestic violence offense, or in connection with the filing, issuance, registration, or service of a protection order, or a petition for a protection order, to protect a victim of domestic violence, stalking, or sexual assault, that the victim bear the costs associated with the filing of criminal charges against the offender, or the costs associated with the filing, issuance, registration, or service of a warrant, protection order, petition for a protection order, or witness subpoena, whether issued inside or outside the State, tribal, or local jurisdiction; and

(5) certify that, not later than 3 years after January 5, 2006, their laws, policies, or practices will ensure that—

(A) no law enforcement officer, prosecuting officer or other government official shall ask or require an adult, youth, or child victim of a sex offense as defined under Federal, tribal, State, territorial, or local law to submit to a polygraph examination or other truth telling device as a condition for proceeding with the investigation of such an offense; and

(B) the refusal of a victim to submit to an examination described in subparagraph (A) shall not prevent the investigation of the offense.

A State or unit of local government shall not be entitled to 5 percent of the funds allocated under this subchapter unless the State or unit of local government—

(1) certifies that it has a law or regulation that requires—

(A) the State or unit of local government at the request of a victim to administer to a defendant, against whom an information or indictment is presented for a crime in which by force or threat of force the perpetrator compels the victim to engage in sexual activity, testing for the immunodeficiency virus (HIV) not later than 48 hours after the date on which the information or indictment is presented;

(B) as soon as practicable notification to the victim, or parent and guardian of the victim, and defendant of the testing results; and

(C) follow-up tests for HIV as may be medically appropriate, and that as soon as practicable after each such test the results be made available in accordance with subparagraph (B); or

(2) gives the Attorney General assurances that it ³ laws and regulations will be in compliance with requirements of paragraph (1) within the later of—

(A) the period ending on the date on which the next session of the State legislature ends; or

(B) 2 years.

Not less than 10 percent of the total amount available under this section for each fiscal year shall be available for grants under the program authorized by section 3796gg–10 of this title.

The requirements of this subchapter shall not apply to funds allocated for the program described in paragraph (1).

(Pub. L. 90–351, title I, §2101, as added Pub. L. 103–322, title IV, §40231(a)(3), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 1932; amended Pub. L. 106–386, div. B, title I, §§1101(a)(2), (b)(2), 1102(b), 1109(c), title II, §1209(b), title V, §1512(b), Oct. 28, 2000, 114 Stat. 1492, 1493, 1495, 1503, 1509, 1533; Pub. L. 109–162, title I, §102(b), title IX, §906(c), Jan. 5, 2006, 119 Stat. 2975, 3081; Pub. L. 109–271, §7(a)(5), Aug. 12, 2006, 120 Stat. 764.)

January 5, 2006, referred to in subsec. (c)(5), was in the original “the date of enactment of this section”, which was translated as meaning the date of enactment of Pub. L. 109–162, which enacted par. (5) of subsec. (c), to reflect the probable intent of Congress.

A prior section 2101 of Pub. L. 90–351 was renumbered section 2601 and is classified to section 3797 of this title.

2006—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 109–162, §102(b)(1), substituted “to treat domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking as serious violations” for “to treat domestic violence as a serious violation”.

Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 109–162, §102(b)(2)(A), inserted “, tribal, territorial,” after “State” in introductory provisions.

Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 109–162, §102(b)(2)(B), struck out “mandatory arrest or” after “implement” and “mandatory arrest programs and” after “including”.

Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 109–162, §102(b)(2)(C), inserted “protection order registries,” after “educational programs,” and substituted “domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Policies, educational programs, protection order registries, and training described in this paragraph shall incorporate confidentiality, and privacy protections for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking” for “domestic violence and dating violence”.

Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 109–162, §102(b)(2)(D), substituted “domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking cases” for “domestic violence cases” and “teams” for “groups”.

Subsec. (b)(5). Pub. L. 109–162, §102(b)(2)(E), substituted “domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking” for “domestic violence and dating violence”.

Subsec. (b)(6). Pub. L. 109–162, §102(b)(2)(F), substituted “civil” for “other” and inserted “, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking” after “domestic violence”.

Subsec. (b)(9) to (13). Pub. L. 109–162, §102(b)(2)(G), added pars. (9) to (13).

Subsec. (c)(5). Pub. L. 109–162, §102(b)(3), added par. (5).

Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 109–162, §102(b)(4), added subsec. (d) and struck out heading and text of former subsec. (d). Text read as follows: “In this section, the term ‘protection order’ has the meaning given the term in section 2266 of title 18.”

Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 109–271 added subsec. (e) and struck out former subsec. (e) which read as follows: “Not less than 10 percent of the total amount available under this section for each fiscal year shall be available for grants under the program authorized in section 3796gg–10 of this title. The requirements of this subchapter shall not apply to funds allocated for such program.”

Pub. L. 109–162, §906(c), added subsec. (e) and struck out former subsec. (e). Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “Not less than 10 percent of the total amount made available for grants under this section for each fiscal year shall be available for grants to Indian tribal governments.”

Pub. L. 109–162, §102(b)(4), added subsec. (e) and struck out heading and text of former subsec. (e). Text read as follows: “Not less than 5 percent of the total amount made available for grants under this section for each fiscal year shall be available for grants to Indian tribal governments.”

2000—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 106–386, §1102(b)(1), inserted “State and local courts (including juvenile courts), tribal courts,” after “Indian tribal governments,”.

Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 106–386, §1102(b)(2)(A), inserted “State and local courts (including juvenile courts),” after “Indian tribal governments” in introductory provisions.

Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 106–386, §§1102(b)(2)(B), 1109(c)(1), substituted “policies, educational programs, and” for “policies and” and inserted “and dating violence” before period at end.

Subsec. (b)(3), (4). Pub. L. 106–386, §1102(b)(2)(C), (D), inserted “parole and probation officers,” after “prosecutors,”.

Subsec. (b)(5). Pub. L. 106–386, §§1109(c)(2), 1512(b), inserted “and dating violence, including strengthening assistance to such victims in immigration matters” before period at end.

Subsec. (b)(6). Pub. L. 106–386, §1101(a)(2)(A), inserted “(including juvenile courts)” after “courts”.

Subsec. (b)(7). Pub. L. 106–386, §1101(a)(2)(B), added par. (7).

Subsec. (b)(8). Pub. L. 106–386, §1209(b), added par. (8).

Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 106–386, §1102(b)(3), inserted “State and local courts (including juvenile courts),” after “Indian tribal governments” in introductory provisions.

Subsec. (c)(4). Pub. L. 106–386, §1101(b)(2)(A), added par. (4) and struck out former par. (4) which read as follows: “certify that their laws, policies, or practices do not require, in connection with the prosecution of any misdemeanor or felony domestic violence offense, that the abused bear the costs associated with the filing of criminal charges or the service of such charges on an abuser, or that the abused bear the costs associated with the issuance or service of a warrant, protection order, or witness subpoena.”

Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 106–386, §1101(b)(2)(B), added subsec. (d).

Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 106–386, §1102(b)(4), added subsec. (e).

Amendment by sections 102(b) (except the amendment to subsec. (d) of this section included in that section) and 906(c) of Pub. L. 109–162 not effective until the beginning of fiscal year 2007, see section 4 of Pub. L. 109–162, set out as a note under section 3793 of this title.

¹ So in original. Probably should be followed by a comma.

² So in original.

³ So in original. Probably should be “its”.