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                                    Resources
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                                    Topics In Corrections
                                    Post-Conviction Victim Service Providers

      

                    
          
    Post-Conviction Victim Service Providers
Victims have statutory rights that begin the moment a crime is committed against them. Ideally, victims would be fully informed of their rights at every step in the process: at the time the crime is reported, during the justice process, while the offender is incarcerated, and when the offender reenters the community. Different criminal justice stakeholders are responsible for victim services at different stages of this process. This webpage focuses on victim services such as corrections, reentry, parole, and probation that occur after an offender has been convicted, and it will provide resources and information for those working in this important, but rarely recognized area of corrections.

Many states have created statutes that mirror and expand the federal provisions under 18 U.S.C. Section 3771 and these post-conviction victims’ rights may include:

Notification of the location, status, and custody level of the inmate(s), including notification if the inmate(s) is released or escapes from custody
	Notification of contact information for the institution where the inmate(s) is housed
	Information about the right to protection, including assistance to obtain “no contact” orders that prevent the inmate(s) from contacting the victim
	Assistance with the collection of restitution, if the sentence included an order of restitution
	Providing information about and referrals to crime victim services in the community
	In cases involving violent crime, receiving information about the Crime Victim Compensation Program
	Submission of a Victim Impact Statement and information regarding its use and purpose
	The right to information about compliance during supervision in the community
	The opportunity to participate in a victim/offender dialogue programIt is very important to know and understand the victim rights in your own jurisdiction, how those rights have been interpreted and what agency is responsible for providing for those rights. In many states the duties for post-conviction services are shared between the state departments of correction and the paroling authority.

Agencies wishing to participate in training and/or examine and improve their response to victim services in corrections may apply for limited, short-term technical assistance to aid their efforts: /TA.

**VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act of 2021**

July 22, 2021

Among other provisions, this law-

Requires funds collected by the Federal Government under deferred and non-prosecution agreements to be deposited into the Crime Victims Fund;
	Clarifies that states may waive a requirement that victim compensation programs promote victim cooperation with law enforcement;
	Allows or requires states to waive matching requirements for Crime Victims Fund grant funds under certain circumstances; and
	Provides the Attorney General with the authority to provide no-cost extensions to all Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) award recipients.Most importantly, OVC will be able to continue funding essential and lifesaving services to crime victims, which are provided by victim service providers and allied professionals nationwide.

For more information: News and Events from the Office of Victims of Crime

**Increasing Awareness of Post-Conviction Rights for Victims Across Agencies: An NCVLI Report**

August 6, 2020

The past few decades have seen tremendous strides for victims’ rights advocacy both in increased awareness of rights available to victims and in more widespread acceptance and compliance with these rights in courts. As general awareness has increased and victim services have improved, an emerging challenge has been identified: the complex landscape of victims’ rights once they reach post-conviction.

Recognizing this gap in knowledge and services, NCVLI, working in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Corrections, released a set of recommendations for effective post-conviction rights and services to improve enforcement. These recommendations focus on opportunities for collaboration between agencies to develop systems of rights compliance and strengthen implementation of services post-conviction.

    Resource Links
          NIC Brochure - Victim Service Providers in Post-Conviction Settings
          NIC GLOSSARY Post-Conviction Victim Services
          Correctional Responses to Domestic Violence Victims
          Office for Victims of Crime - Crime Victims Fund
                   Sub-Initiatives
          Resources for Victim Service Providers
          Resources on Victim Offender Dialogue

  NIC Resources
          Recommendations for Practice: Post-Conviction Victims' Rights and Services
          DV/IPV: Domestic Violence/Intimate Partner Violence
          Working with Victims of Crime: An Integrated Approach for Community Supervision Professionals
          Offender Reentry: The Value of Victim Involvement [Broadcast]
          Post-Conviction Victim Service Providers: Selected Resources Annotated Bibliography

Topic Categories and Resources
The following grey bars are accordions that can be expanded to show a list of "top-shelf" resources that have been hand-picked by our library team around this topic. If you would like additional research assistance on this topic, please contact our help desk. They have access to specialized databases and thousands of resources you won't find online. Click on a grey box below to browse resources in that section.
            
      Accordion    Related Resources
      
      The Victim/Offender Overlap and Criminal System Reform
              The Attorney General Guidelines for Victim and Witness Assistance (2023)
              Center for Victim Research
              Building a National Data Collection on Victim Service Providers: A Pilot Test (2018)
              Just Wrong: The aftermath of wrongful convictions
              Office for Victims of Crime (OVC)
              Local Resources - Office of Violence Against Women
              The National Association of Victim Assistance in Corrections (NAVAC)
              National Center for Victims of Crime
              National Crime Victim Law Institute (NCVLI)
              Just Alternatives
              Canada: Victims and the Parole Process
              Canada: Victims Portal
              National Victims' Connotational Amendment Passage
              National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV)
              Vicarious Trauma: Office for Victims of Crime Training & Technical Assistance Center (OVCTTAC)
              State of Idaho Judicial Branch: Approved DV Evaluation Screening/Assessment Tools (2018)
              Who Experiences Violent Victimization and Who Accesses Services? (2019)
              Crisis, Stress, and Human Resilience: An International Journal (2021)

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          Scott Richards
      
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              Correctional Programs Specialist

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              National Institute of Corrections

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