are deposited into the Fund each year from criminal 

entities into the Fund. 

ensure that the progress made to date is not lost and that 

*BC~000713* 

U.S. Department of Justice 

Office of Justice Programs 

Office for Victims of Crime 

As soon as I walked in there, I felt, oh my 

God, someone is listening to me, someone is 

compassionate, I felt they wanted to help me 

. . . . I knew I was the victim but I felt like 

the criminal and they reassured me that 

I wasn’t. 

—Victim of assault describing 

victim assistance program* 

*Ellen Brickman, 2002, “Development of a National Study of Victim 

Needs and Assistance,” Final Report submitted to the National Institute 

of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C. Retrieved 

January 11, 2005, from www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles1/nij/grants/195625.pdf. 

covered include violent crimes such as homicide, rape, 

drunk driving, domestic violence, and child sexual abuse 

and neglect. Expenses covered are medical costs, mental 

health counseling, funeral and burial costs, and lost 

wages or loss of support. Crime victim assistance programs provide a range of services, including crisis intervention, counseling, emergency shelter, criminal justice 

advocacy, and emergency transportation. Although compensation and assistance are provided most often to individuals, in certain instances, entire communities may be 

eligible for assistance for a multiple victimization. You 

can obtain information about compensation and assistance through your local prosecutor’s office. You also 

may receive it from your local law enforcement agency 

when you report an offense. 

Another key tool that can help victims and service providers find a program in a specific jurisdiction is OVC’s 

online Directory of Crime Victim Services. The directory lists service providers who address various victim 

needs. Launched October 31, 2003, the directory offers 

a centralized, searchable database of victim assistance 

programs nationwide. OVC scrutinizes new programs 

and continually updates the database with those it finds 

appropriate for the site. To view the directory, visit 

http://ovc.ncjrs.org/findvictimservices. 

Financial support for many of these programs is provided through the Crime Victims Fund (the Fund), which is 

administered by OVC. Established by VOCA, the Fund 

supports victim services and training for advocates and 

professionals throughout the country. Millions of dollars 

fines, forfeited bail bonds, penalties, and special assessments collected by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, U.S. Federal 

Courts, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. All Fund 

dollars have typically come from offenders convicted 

of federal crimes, not from taxpayers. However, the 

October 2001 Uniting and Strengthening America by 

Providing Appropriate Tools Required To Intercept and 

Obstruct Terrorism Act (USA PATRIOT Act) expanded 

the possible sources in fiscal year 2002 by authorizing 

the deposit of gifts, bequests, or donations from private 

Progress in improving the treatment of crime victims 

is due largely to the efforts of thousands of individuals 

who have turned their victimization into a force for positive change. Victims and survivors of victims of homicide, 

rape, child abuse, domestic violence, and other serious 

offenses have transformed their experiences into a vehicle 

for ensuring that victims of similar types of crime receive 

true justice, meaningful assistance, and compassionate 

treatment before the law. Many victims and survivors 

volunteer their time and resources to create and staff 

programs such as shelters and crisis hotlines, conduct 

legislative advocacy, and speak on victim impact panels. 

Opportunities to help victims exist in almost every community. This and other work for positive change helps 

new ground is broken to gain greater justice and healing 

for all victims of crime. Please visit OVC’s Web site for 

information about national, state, and local organizations 

that rely on volunteers to carry out their missions. 

Office of Justice Programs 

Partnerships for Safer Communities 

www.ojp.usdoj.gov 
eing a victim of crime is frightening and un­ • The right to an order of restitution from the convicted 

settling for the millions of Americans who offender.


experience it each year. As recently as 1972, Most states have amended their constitutions to guarantee • The right to be notified of these rights.
 almost no services were available to help crime certain fundamental rights for crime victims. Typically,


victims or their survivors repair the damage to their these include the following: If you are a victim of a crime, these rights apply to you.


lives and property or cope with the trauma and frustra- You may obtain information about these rights through


tion associated with the offender’s prosecution. Today, • The right to be notified of all court proceedings related your local victim/witness assistance program (usually


however, because of funding authorized under the to the offense. located in the prosecutor’s office), your State Attorney


Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) of 1984, as amended • The right to be reasonably protected from the accused General’s Office, or your U.S. Attorney’s Office.


[42 U.S.C. § 10601 et seq.], and the dedicated efforts of offender.


advocates, lawmakers, and crime victims, an extensive


range of services and resources is available to help vic- • The right to have input at sentencing (e.g., in the form


tims obtain justice and heal. The Office for Victims of of a victim impact statement). 

Crime (OVC), a federal agency within the Office of Thousands of programs provide services and sanctuary to • The right to information about the conviction, sentenc- crime victims throughout the United States. These pro-
 Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, wants ing, imprisonment, and release of the offender.
 you to know that if you or someone you love is a grams are within state government agencies and private


victim of crime— nonprofit faith-based and charitable organizations. They


resulted from crimes perpetrated in the state. Crimes 

• 

• 

• 

Childhelp USA National 

1–800–422–4453 

Fund/Health Resource Center 

1–800–313–1310 

1–800–438–6233 

National Center for Missing and 

Exploited Children (NCMEC) 

1–800–843–5678 

Crime (NCVC) 

1–800–394–2255 

National Clearinghouse for 

Alcohol and Drug Information 

1–800–729–6686 

National Clearinghouse on 

Information 

1–800–394–3366 

National Criminal Justice 

Reference Service (NCJRS) 

1–800–851–3420 

1–800–799–7233 

National Fraud Information Hotline 

1–800–876–7060 

1–800–879–6682 

National Resource Center on 

1–800–537–2238 

1–800–251–3221 

1–888–818–7662 

1–800–656–4673 

and assistance programs in the United 

provide two general types of services—compensation and 

assistance. Compensation programs reimburse victims, 

including victims of federal crimes, for expenses that 

You have rights. 

You can get help. 

You can work for positive change. 

If you are a crime victim and want 

information or referrals regarding 

victims’ rights, services, and criminal 

justice resources, the following organizations may help you: 

Child Abuse Hotline 

Family Violence Prevention 

Mothers Against Drunk 

Driving (MADD) 

National Center for Victims of 

Child Abuse and Neglect 

National Domestic Violence Hotline 

National Organization for Victim 

Assistance (NOVA) 

Domestic Violence 

National White Collar Crime 

Center (NW3C) 

Parents of Murdered Children (POMC) 

Rape, Abuse & Incest National 

Network (RAINN) 

For a current list of state compensation 

States and U.S. Territories, please visit 

www.ovc.gov/help/links.htm.