Napa County DA Awarded Grant To Combat Domestic Violence

NAPA COUNTY, CA — The Napa County District Attorney’s Office has been selected to receive a Violence Against Women vertical prosecution grant from the California Office of Emergency Services that will fund its efforts to prosecute cases of domestic violence in Napa County, District Attorney Allison Haley announced Thursday.

The vertical prosecution model calls for a deputy district attorney and victim witness advocate to be involved in the life of a case from beginning to end, providing several benefits for victims of crime and the DA’s Office alike including the fostering of trust, reduction of victim trauma, improvement in access to justice, and more consistent and appropriate sentencing.

“These funds will empower the Napa DA’s Office to continue approaching domestic violence cases in a comprehensive way,” Haley said. “Oftentimes, the repercussions of domestic violence are far-reaching and can include physical, psychological, and economic repercussions. Having a DA and victim advocate involved from the moment charges are filed, and quite frankly oftentimes before, to the moment when the final appeal is exhausted is a priority for this office.”

Beginning in January, the grant will allow the Napa DA’s Office to cover $172,545 of attorney costs and $30,000 of costs for a victim advocate to assist in the prosecution of domestic violence cases.

The grant funding, District Attorney Allison Haley said, furthers her commitment to being an excellent steward of the office’s budget and taking advantage of all opportunities to ease the financial burden on the people of Napa County.