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Non-Profit Helps Female Bergen Jail Inmates, Social Service Clients Overcome Domestic Violence

Female inmates at the Bergen County Jail who’ve been victims of domestic abuse are receiving counseling thanks to a federal grant that costs taxpayers nothing.

Bergen County Jail

Bergen County Jail

Photo Credit: CLIFFVIEW PILOT file photo

The two-year $350,000 grant received by A Partnership for Change is also bringing similar workshops directly to clients of various social service agencies in New Jersey, said Allison Bressler, the private non-profit organization’s co-founder.

The “support on site” programs developed by Bressler and co-founder Gloria Sgrizzi are funded by the U.S. Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grant program, which is financed entirely by fines, penalties and forfeited bail bonds from federal offenders, as well as gifts, donations and bequests from private individuals.

The first component of A Partnership for Change’s VOCA-funded program is a domestic violence support group in the Bergen County Jail with a literal and figurative twist: It includes a yoga session.

The session are  designed to "help the inmates not only process and feel the emotions around their abuse but be given an opportunity to learn and understand the issue of domestic violence and hopefully break the cycle in future relationships,” Bressler said.

Every female inmate who participated during a seven-week winter session conducted by APFC at the River Street lockup in Hackensack had experienced violence in relationships, she said.

“No one had ever talked to them about the different types of domestic violence and the impact it’s had in their lives – or the role it played in their incarceration,” Bressler said. “No one had ever ‘safety planned’ with them.”

APFC, which is gearing up for another seven-week session this summer, also is using the grant to provide “Domestic Violence 101” workshops directly to clients of various social service agencies.

One in four women in the United States – and one of every three teenage girls -- has been a victim of domestic violence, studies show.

There were 63,420 domestic violence offenses reported in New Jersey in 2016, the most recent year for which Uniform Crime Report statistics were available.

In planning the program, Sgrizzi said, “we interviewed directors of community service agencies in NJ who offer all types of support –job training, financial readiness, childcare or housing assistance, for instance.”

More than half of their clients had been domestic violence victims, said Sgrizzi, who launched APFC with Bressler in 2007.

The pair have broadened their support to comprehensive prevention, education and awareness programs for social service agencies, first responders and those looking to help.

Their workshops are designed to empower attendees to make a difference in the lives of victims, “whether it's someone you serve as a social worker, teacher, healthcare professional or law enforcement agent, someone you work with, work for, or who works for you, or a neighbor, friend, family member or loved one.”

Partnership professionals help program participants “increase their knowledge about the issue, learn about methods for safe and effective intervention and find out about resources for help and support,” the organization says.

If you are interested in bringing them in, email: info@apartnershipforchange.org.

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