Georgia Commission on Family Violence Honors the Justice for Incarcerated Survivors Program with the 'Moving the Work Forward' Award

ATHENS, GA - The Georgia Commission on Family Violence (GCFV) recognized the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence's (GCADV) Justice for Incarcerated Survivors (JFIS) Program with the prestigious Moving the Work Forward Award during the 32nd Annual Family Violence Conference held in Athens, Georgia.

The Moving the Work Forward Award is presented to organizations and individuals who are innovative in their approaches and actions to ensure all victims of domestic violence have the necessary resources to live free of violence in their homes. The award highlights organizations or individuals who have made significant contributions to the domestic violence movement in Georgia by consistently demonstrating outstanding vision, collaboration, creativity, and commitment to safety and justice for victims of family violence in our state.

GCADV's Justice for Incarcerated Survivors (JFIS) Program and the Survivor Justice Initiative represent a groundbreaking collaborative effort dedicated to addressing the unique and often overlooked needs of criminalized survivors of domestic abuse. Recognizing that trauma and domestic violence are frequently underlying factors leading to legal system involvement, the JFIS Program works to bridge the gap between victim advocacy and legal defense.

Through legal representation, systemic policy advocacy, trauma-informed resources, and statewide educational initiatives, the JFIS Program strives to transform legal outcomes for survivors, ensuring that the justice system recognizes the complex dynamics of intimate partner violence and self-defense.

Accepting the award on behalf of the initiative, Legal Director Ellie Williams highlighted the impact of collaborative systemic change: "We are exceptionally grateful for this amazing award. It is extraordinary that our State recognizes the critical importance of work on behalf of criminalized survivors not as a niche or ancillary issue, but one key to the DV movement. We are proud of our state's Survivor Justice Act - not only because of its comprehensive nature and high impact, but also because of the symbolism it holds, showing that when we work collaboratively across the system (uniting unlikely allies) and center survivor voices, we can achieve great things and create a system that actually offers justice, healing, and hope."

About the Georgia Commission on Family Violence

The Georgia Commission on Family Violence (GCFV) is a state agency created by the Georgia General Assembly in 1992 to develop a comprehensive plan to end family violence in Georgia. GCFV works with judicial circuits, law enforcement, shelters, and community leaders across the state to enhance safety for victims, hold offenders accountable, and promote effective community responses to domestic violence.

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