Office for Victims of Crime 1997 Report to Congress

• NCJ Number: 166592
• Date Published: 1997
• Length: 100 pages
• Agencies: OVC
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation

Annotation

This report covers activities undertaken by the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) and its grantees with Crime Victims Fund revenues during fiscal years 1995 and 1996.

Abstract

The OVC is the chief advocate at the Federal level for crime victims and provides significant financial support for victim assistance and compensation programs. In addition, the OVC has launched a wide range of initiatives to ensure the fair treatment of victims. The Victims of Crime Act of 1984 (VOCA) created a unique funding mechanism, the Crime Victims Fund, to support services for crime victims. The fund obtains revenue from fines and penalties paid by convicted Federal offenders, not from tax dollars. Since its inception, the fund has generated more than $2 billion to support crime victim programs. The OVC distributes nearly 90 percent of the fund's money to help States administer victim assistance and compensation programs. Major OVC and VOCA accomplishments in fiscal years 1995 and 1996 included the following: made available $762 million to crime victims; awarded $207 million in victim assistance grants to States; awarded $148.5 million in victim compensation grants to States; advocated for victim rights; funded emergency support and longer-term advocacy and services for victims during mass tragedies; supported pioneering partnerships between all levels of government and many different agencies to improve crime victim services; provided funding to train more than 52,000 Federal law enforcement officers; funded the National Victim Assistance Academy; released a report and action plan on providing services to gang violence victims; and supported initiatives to ensure the implementation of provisions in the Violence Against Women Act of 1994. Examples of partnerships between the OVC and other government agencies are provided, and future directions of the OVC to help crime victims are noted. Appendixes contain supplemental information on grants for Native Americans, United Nations basic principles of justice for crime victims, OVC publications and products, victim service awards, victims served, and victim advocate training. Tables and figures