Elder Abuse Protection and Prevention Project

The Edward Byrne Memorial Discretionary Grants Program (Byrne Discretionary Program) helps local communities improve the capacity of local justice systems and provides for national support efforts. This project is authorized and funded through a line item in the FY 08 Congressional Budget. Funds should be used for purposes recommended by Congress.

The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) will address the problem of crimes of abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation of the elderly in Chicago. ICJIA will partner with Metropolitan Family Services to develop two interdisciplinary teams from the fields of aging, adult protective services, geriatric medicine, mental health, law enforcement, and finance. The policy team will identify service gaps and system problems, recommend policy improvements and practice protocols, designate direct service staff for the practice team, and identify training needs. The practice team will collaborate to plan and carry out coordinated investigations, as well as provide consultation to service providers to coordinate service delivery and case management, in order to protect seniors and hold abusers accountable for their crimes against this vulnerable population.

NCA/NCF