Information about compensation and assistance can usually be obtained through your local prosecutor's office or may be provided to you by your local law enforcement agency when you report an offense. The Fund is supported, not by tax dollars, but by fines, penalty assessments, and bond forfeitures collected from convicted Federal offenders and is distributed among the States and Territories annually. The progress that has been achieved to improve the treatment of crime victims is due largely to the efforts of untold 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 experience into a vehicle for ensuring that victims of similar types of crime are afforded true justice, meaningful assistance, and compassionate treatment before the law. Many of these victims and survivors have volunteered their own time and resources toward such worthwhile activities as creating and staffing programs, conducting legislative advocacy, working in shelters, answering crisis hotlines, and speaking on victim impact panels.
Similar opportunities exist in virtually every community.
Working for positive change will help ensure that this progress is not lost and that new ground can be broken as greater justice and healing is gained for all victims of crime.