The Office for Victims of Crime encourages a broad representation of individuals, organizations and agencies that serve crime victims to attend, including:
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The centerpiece of OVC’s efforts to train crime victim advocates and allied professionals is the National Victim Assistance Academy. 1997 Office for Victims of Crime Report to Congress
Since 1995, nearly 1,600 students representing all 50 states, four American territories and six foreign countries have completed the National Victim Assistance Academy. |
Federal, State, Local, and International Criminal Justice-based Programs:
- Police
- Sheriff
- Prosecution
- Courts
- Probation
- Corrections
- Parole
- Juvenile Justice
Community-based Programs Serving:
- Assault/Robbery Victims
- Child Victims
- Domestic Violence Victims
- Sexual Assault Victims
- Elderly Crime Victims
- Drunk Driving Victims
- Survivors of Homicide Victims
- Economic/Property Crime Victims
- Hate/Bias Crime Victims
- Victims in Rural Areas
- Gang Violence Victims
- Stalking Victims
- Victims with Disabilities
- White Collar/Telemarketing Fraud Victims
Specialized Programs Including:
- Native American Service Providers
- Health and Mental Health Professionals
- Faith-based Organizations
- Youth-serving Agencies
- College and School-based Services
- State VOCA Assistance and Compensation Programs
- Federal Law Enforcement, Prosecution, Judiciary, and Corrections
- International Victim Service Providers
Application Process
A separate application form is included with this brochure. Please share this announcement with other victim service and allied professionals who wish to apply to the Academy. In order to be eligible for selection, candidates must submit an original and two copies of the typed application form and two letters of recommendation — fax copies will not be considered. Applications must be received at VALOR headquarters by Friday, April 5, 2002. Students will be notified of their selection status by April 15, 2002.
Academy Logistics & Costs
All students must register on campus by 3:00 pm on Sunday, June 23rd. The Academy will close on Friday afternoon, June 28th. Students will be expected to: participate fully in the entire Academy course; stay in university housing; and utilize the meal plan. The Academy team works with each university to provide Academy student housing and meals at a low cost. The all-inclusive cost to students for tuition, all course materials, housing, and meals will be $575 for the week. Advance payment of these costs and confirmation of attendance must be submitted to VALOR upon notification of acceptance to the Academy.
Student Selection Criteria
The Office for Victims of Crime will help guide the student selection process. The Academy offers a rigorous, foundation level course of study for students seeking to gain comprehensive and basic education on a broad range of topics. The curriculum is geared toward victim service providers and allied professionals with between one and five years of experience working with crime victims. While applicants are asked to designate their preference for site location, many factors are taken into consideration during the acceptance process, to ensure that each Academy class represents a wide range of geographic, cultural, and professional diversity.
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Each host University contributes to the Academy in invaluable ways — from the academic expertise lent by their faculty to providing state-of-the-art learning facilities for Academy instruction. |
Course Overview
The 40-hour academic-based, rigorous course curriculum emphasizes foundations in victimology and victims' rights and services, as well as new developments in the field of victim assistance. While it is assumed that students have had previous training in their areas of specialization, this course focuses on academic instruction and study that is foundation level, broad-based, and inclusive of a wide range of victim-related topics. The interactive, skills-building course of study includes lectures, experiential exercises, working and discussion groups, computer laboratories, faculty mentoring groups, and self-examinations. State-of-the-art adult learning techniques are incorporated into every aspect of the Academy program.
State-of-the-Art Education Across the Nation
The Academy will be conducted simultaneously on the campuses of California State University in Fresno, California; the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina; and Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. The three Academy classes will be joined utilizing state-of-the-art audio/ visual linkages for the Academy Opening and Closing and for a mid-week session. Each site will have a team of expert faculty in residence, including nationally recognized faculty, who will teach course sections, lead group discussions and laboratory exercises, and conduct faculty mentoring sessions.
Academy Faculty
The prestigious Academy faculty represents nationally recognized leaders in the fields of victimology, criminal justice, and victims' rights and services including: faculty from co-sponsoring academic institutions; speakers from national crime victims' organizations; and local, state and federal victims' rights and criminal justice experts. Over 60 faculty members lend their expertise to conduct Academy classes each year.
Course Curriculum
A comprehensive Academy text covering 38 different subject areas has been developed to serve as the course curriculum. Academy students will be expected to attend the entire program and to participate in laboratory and working group sessions. In addition, students will be required to complete all pre-Academy reading assignments.
Academic Credit
Academic credit at both the graduate and undergraduate levels has been offered from the following nationally accredited universities: California State University-Fresno; the Medical University of South Carolina; and Washburn University. Three full academic credits will be provided for successful completion of the 40-hour course curriculum and fulfillment of all requisite conditions for undergraduate and graduate credit. The course credit is transferrable worldwide. A fee of $120 for academic credit is required to cover administrative costs in processing course credit.
Certificate of Graduation
Upon successful completion of the entire Academy course, including participation in all Academy sessions, students will be awarded a certificate from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime. An additional certificate will be awarded from those universities offering academic credit to students who elect to receive academic credit.
Highlights
of the Academy Curriculum
Preparing Future Leaders for the Field of Victim
Services
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2001 I have never met a better, well-rounded group of people who want to educate in a caring and giving way...Great — from first day till last — would repeat!...Learned so much and made great friends. Actually forgot I was in a dorm!...Provided me with new insight and loaded me up with ideas to implement when I get back...I have greatly enjoyed this training and will highly recommend it to my co-workers for next year...For me, this Academy affirmed the work I do and more importantly I learned what is being done across the U.S. and have gained new ideas to implement in my area.
Any Questions? If you have any questions or need additional information about the 2002 National Victim Assistance Academy, please contact: VALOR |
Scope of Crime & Historical Review of the Victims’ Rights Discipline
- The Evolution of victims' Rights
The Criminal Justice System
- Federal and State Jurisdiction
- Dynamics of the Criminal Justice System
Specific Justice Systems and Victims’ Rights
- The Federal, Indian, and Military Justice Systems
- Juvenile Justice
- Current Status of victims' Rights
Restorative Justice/ Community Justice
Financial Assistance for Victims of Crime
- Civil Remedies
- Restitution
- Compensation
Mental Health Needs
- Trauma Assessment and Intervention
- Stress Management
Specific Victim Topics
- Responding to Underserved Crime Victims
- Sexual Assault
- Domestic Violence
- Child Victimization
- Homicide
- Drunk Driving
- Victimization of the Elderly
- Victimization of Individuals with Disabilities
- Financial Crime
Research and Evaluation
The News Media’s Coverage of Crime and Victimization
Collaboration for Victims’ Rights and Services
Professionalizing the Discipline of Victim Services
Innovative Technologies and the Information Age
New Developments on Specific Issues
- Hate and Bias Crimes
- Stalking
- Workplace Violence
- Substance Abuse and Victimization
- Victims of Gang Violence
- Campus Crime and Victimization
- Rural Victims
- International Issues in Victim Assistance
- Funding for Victim Services
- Terrorism
Special Interactive Sessions
- The Criminal Justice System Continuum
- Faculty Mentoring Groups
- Skills Building Laboratories
NVAA Videotape Series
- Meeting the Mental Health Needs of Crime Victims
- The News Media's Coverage of Crime and Victimization
- Substance Abuse and Victimization
- Communicating with Victims
- Meeting the Needs of Underserved Victim Populations
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Checklist for Applicants Have you enclosed:
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This project was supported by Grant Number 95-MU-GX-K002(S-7) awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The Assistant Attorney General, Office of Justice Programs coordinates the activities of the following program offices and bureaus: Bureau of Justice Assistance, Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Institute of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the Office for Victims of Crime. Points of view in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
The 2002 National Victim Assistance Academy
The 2002 National Victim Assistance Academy presents a university-based, foundation level, 40-hour course of study on victimology, victims’ rights, and victim services.
The
Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) in the U.S. Department of Justice is
sponsoring the eighth National Victim Assistance Academy during the week
of June 23-28, 2002. The intensive 40-hour Academy will be conducted
simultaneously at three universities across the nation and will feature
a nationally recognized faculty. Approximately 300 students will be selected
to attend the Academy this year. A certificate of graduation from the
U.S. Department of Justice will be awarded upon successful completion
of the course, and academic credit at both the undergraduate and graduate
levels is available from several of the co-sponsoring universities. Students
are expected to cover the cost of transportation, housing and meals. OVC
is supporting the Academy course of study and materials. The following
three universities are scheduled to host the 2002 National Victim Assistance
Academy:
California State University in Fresno, California; The Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina; and Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas.
2002 Co-sponsoring Agencies and Institutions
The U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) was established in 1985 to enhance the nation's capacity to assist crime victims and to provide leadership in changing attitudes and practices to promote justice and healing for all victims of crime. Serving as the nation's chief advocate for crime victims, OVC administers the Crime Victims Fund, awards grants for high quality training and technical assistance, supports activities designed to draw public attention to crime victims' needs, and promotes victims' rights.
Victims’ Assistance Legal Organization (VALOR) was founded in 1979 as a national nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the legal rights of crime victims in the civil and criminal justice systems. In addition to serving as the lead grantee for the 1995-2001 National Victim Assistance Academies, VALOR's recent activities include: producing OVC's 1995-2001 National Crime Victims' Rights Week Resource Guides; and providing leadership on reforms in the areas of restitution, child abuse, juvenile justice, sentencing, and parole.
California State University-Fresno (CSUF) in 1985 was the first university in the nation to develop and conduct a program of study in victim services. Today it offers an undergraduate degree in victimology, a graduate degree with a specialization in victimology, and a month-long summer institute on Victim Services. The Department of Criminology has a long history of providing academic credit (undergraduate and graduate) for OVC-sponsored training.
The National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina, has been devoted to developing a better understanding of the impact of criminal victimization on adults, children, and their families since 1974. Its nationally recognized faculty conducts research, professional education, clinical service, and provides public policy consultation at the local, state, federal, and international levels on a broad range of victim-related topics.
The University of New Haven, Center for the Study of Crime Victims’ Rights, Resources, and Remedies conducts a variety of activities as part of its mission to improve the treatment of victims of crime through research, teaching, conferences, and legal policy advocacy. The University offers a program in Victim Services Administration that provides cutting-edge, practice-oriented education and training, focusing on the appropriate involvement of victims in the justice system and the improvement of service provision to victims.
The Center on Violence and Victim Studies at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas is a university-based interdisciplinary program that addresses issues of violence and victimization through education, consultation, and research to enhance professional practice, organizational policies, and societal responses. The Victim Assistance Program, an advanced multi-disciplinary course of study, was established in 1995. The School of Applied Studies, Human Services Department, provides both an associate and baccalaureate degree in victim/survivor services.
VALOR
Victims' Assistance Legal Organization
8180 Greensboro Drive Suite 1070
McLean, Virginia 22102-3823