TITLE: Report to Congress, October 1997 Series: OVC Report SUBJECT: Program Evaluation Published: October 1997 126 pages 290,645 bytes Figures, charts, forms, and tables are not included in this ASCII plain-text file. To view this document in its entirety, download the Adobe Acrobat graphic file available from this Web site or order a print copy from the Office for Victims of Crime Resource Center at 800-627-6872. U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Office for Victims of Crime Report to Congress October 1997 ------------------------------ U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs 810 Seventh Street NW. Washington, DC 20531 Janet Reno Attorney General U.S. Department of Justice Eric Holder Deputy Attorney General U.S. Department of Justice John C. Dwyer Acting Associate Attorney General Laurie Robinson Assistant Attorney General Aileen Adams Director, Office for Victims of Crime Office for Victims of Crime World Wide Web Site http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/ The Office for Victims of Crime is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. ------------------------------ Victims of Crime Act of 1984 as Amended: A Report to the President and the Congress Office for Victims of Crime Office of Justice Programs U.S. Department of Justice This report covers activities undertaken by the Office for Victims of Crime and its grantees with Crime Victims Fund revenues during Fiscal Years 1995-1996 ------------------------------ Table of Contents MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR The Office for Victims of Crime: Helping To Provide Justice and Healing Executive Summary Chapter 1 How Criminals Pay for Victim Services: The Crime Victims Fund Deposits Into the Crime Victims Fund Fiscal Responsibility and Management of the Fund Chapter 2 Funding Services for Crime Victims: OVC's Unique Role Formula Grants Program New OVC Efforts To Improve Victim Services Through the Formula Grants Program The VOCA Victim Assistance Grant Program The VOCA Victim Assistance Grant Program Administration Victim Assistance Programs The VOCA Victim Compensation Grant Program The VOCA Victim Compensation Funds Serving Crime Victims The State Compensation Program Spotlight Discretionary Grants Program New OVC Efforts To Improve Victim Services Through the Discretionary Grants Program Discretionary Funding for Programs That Help Federal Crime Victims Federal Crime Victim Assistance Funds U.S. Attorneys' Federal Crime Victim Assistance Fund FBI Federal Crime Victim Assistance Fund OVC Support of Training and Technical Assistance for Victim Assistance and Compensation Grants National Association of Crime Victim Compensation Boards National Victim Assistance Training Conference Statewide and Regional Victim Assistance Conferences Chapter 3 Sharing Knowledge To Improve Victim Services: OVC-Funded Training and Technical Assistance National Victim Assistance Academy Discipline-Specific Training Programs Training for Law Enforcement Professionals Community Policing and Victim Services Promising Practices for Law Enforcement National Domestic Violence Teleconference Federal Bureau of Investigation Federal Law Enforcement Training Center Federal Criminal Justice Personnel Training Trainings for Prosecutors Federal Prosecutors Promising Practices for Prosecutors Protecting Victims' Rights: A Prosecutor's Priority Trainings for Court Personnel The Juvenile Justice System Juvenile Court Response to Victims of Juvenile Offenders The Judiciary Trainings for Professionals in Corrections U.S. Parole Commission and Federal Bureau of Prisons Trainings for Professionals in the Military Trainings for Professionals in the Mental Health and Medical Fields Mental Health Medical Training for Educators and Other School Personnel Training and Technical Assistance for Special Populations Vulnerable to Victimization Victims of Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Victims of Sexual Assault Victims of Statutory Rape Domestic Violence Victims Community Responses to Family Violence Victims of Child Abuse Victims of Gang Violence Survivors of Homicide Victims Victims and Survivors of Drunk Driving Crashes Victims of Hate and Bias Crimes Victims With Disabilities Victims' Concerns About HIV/AIDS Victims in Rural Areas Victims of Criminal Transportation Disasters Victims in Native American Communities Attorney General's Indian Country Initiative Tribal Court Appointed Special Advocate Programs Indian Health Services Child Sexual Abuse in Native American Communities Sixth National Indian Nations Conference Children's Justice Act Discretionary Grants for Native Americans Victims of Violence in the Workplace Crimes Against Older Americans Chapter 4 Using OVC's Diverse Resources To Assist Victims of Terrorism and Mass Violence OVC Response to the Bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City OVC Assistance to the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia OVC Support for the Families of Victims Killed Abroad by Terrorists Legislative Reforms Chapter 5 OVC's International Efforts on Behalf of Victims: Facing New Frontiers International Victim Assistance Training Manual International Victim Compensation Program Directory OVC Resource Center Response to International Crime Victim Issues Assistance for Kidnaped Children Taken Across International Borders Support for the World Congress Against the Commercial Exploitation of Children Assistance for Americans Victimized Abroad: OVC's Plan of Action on International Issues for FY 1997 Chapter 6 Making Government Work for Victims of Crime: Disseminating Information and Responding to Constituent Requests Enhancing Communication With the Victim Service Field OVC Resource Center OVC World Wide Web Home Page OVC Publications and Products Topic-Specific Videotapes OVC Newsletter Using Technology for Victims and Grantees Technology Grants Victim Assistance Case Automated Tracking/ Notification System Simplifying the Grant Process for Victim Assistance in Indian Country Responding to Constituent Training Requests OVC Training and Technical Assistance Center Community Crisis Response Trainers Bureau Regional Coordination Initiative Mentoring Program for VOCA Administrators Putting It All Together To Serve Crime Victims Better: Washington, D.C. Case Study District-Specific Training State Needs Assessment National Crime Victims' Rights Week Chapter 7 Future Directions Comprehensive, Quality Services for All Crime Victims Enactment and Enforcement of Consistent, Fundamental Rights for Crime Victims Securing a Victims' Rights Constitutional Amendment and Other Legislative Protections for Crime Victims Enhancing the Federal Response to Victims of Federal Crime Victims' Rights and Services for the 21st Century: An Action Plan From the Field Enhancing the Victims of Crime Act Utilizing Defunct National Fine Center Funds To Improve the Federal System Expanding National-Scope Training and Technical Assistance and Services to Federal Crime Victims Establishing Fellowships and Clinical Internships Expanding Definitions and Duties and Authority of the OVC Director Return of Funds to the Crime Victims Fund Authorization of Deposits to the Fund From Private Sources Conclusion Appendix A Children's Justice Act Discretionary Grant Program for Native Americans: Total Dollars Awarded to Tribes 1990 through 1997 Appendix B TRIAD Programs Appendix C United Nations Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power (full text) Appendix D Office for Victims of Crime Publications and Products Appendix E 1995 and 1996 Crime Victim Service Award Recipients Appendix F 1995 and 1996 Number of Victims Served by Program and State Appendix G Number of Advocates Trained Fiscal Years 1995-1996 ------------------------------ Message From The Director The Office for Victims of Crime: Helping To Provide Justice and Healing The past 3 years have been a time of extraordinary accomplishments for the crime victims field. The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) has worked in close partnership with victim service providers and others in the field to help ensure justice and healing for crime victims. This report, as prescribed by statute, describes many of OVC's achievements made possible by funding authorized in the Victims of Crime Act of 1984, as amended. It covers activities in Fiscal Years (FYs) 1995 and 1996, as well as important initiatives undertaken in FY 1997. Some of our milestones include: o Unprecedented Federal funding for local crime victims programs. The OVC-administered Crime Victims Fund (the Fund) reached a historic level of $528.9 million in 1996. The Fund is derived from fines against Federal criminal offenders--not taxpayers. The dramatic increase in the Fund enabled OVC in 1997 to distribute three times more Federal victim assistance dollars to States than ever before. In FYs 1995 and 1996, OVC grants helped to provide services to more than 2 million crime victims each year and support more than 2,800 local victim service agencies across the country. o Comprehensive services for Oklahoma City bombing victims. The enactment of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 enabled OVC to provide major support for victims of terrorist acts, including funding for additional advocates, crisis counseling, safe havens, and travel expenses to court proceedings for Oklahoma City bombing victims. o National crime victims agenda. Within the next few months, OVC will release Victims' Rights and Services for the 21st Century: An Action Plan From the Field (Action Plan), which has been compiled by leaders in the field and will serve as a guide to providing comprehensive victims' rights and services well into the next century. The Action Plan will update the landmark 1982 President's Task Force on Victims of Crime Final Report, describe "promising practices" used around the country to facilitate implementation of victims' rights and services, and propose numerous recommendations to improve how crime victims are treated. o Advocacy for fundamental and consistent victims' rights. OVC played a major role in supporting a constitutional amendment to ensure fundamental rights for victims of crime in accordance with the Administration's endorsement of such an initiative, and supported stronger legislation to improve victim participation and rights in all phases of the criminal justice process. o Federal system improvements. In response to a 1996 Presidential directive, OVC developed a comprehensive action plan to improve the treatment of victims in the Federal system. OVC provided victim-witness training to over 70 Federal law enforcement agencies; convened the first National Symposium on Victims of Federal Crime, which provided intensive training to nearly 1,000 key Federal employees; produced a film entitled Justice for Victims on victim-witness responsibilities to serve as a training tool for all U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) personnel; increased funding and technical assistance to DOJ components to enhance their victim-witness programs; and established Federal emergency funds for the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Attorneys' Offices to ensure funding for needed victim services that could not be provided through other sources. o National Victim Assistance Academy. The OVC-funded National Victim Assistance Academy, the first Federal training center for victim advocates, is entering its third successful year by providing state-of-the-art training to victim service providers across the country at four universities simultaneously. Its comprehensive curriculum is being modified for use in State training facilities. o International leadership. OVC is playing a major leadership role in the development of an International Victim Assistance Training Manual to implement the U.N. Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power and is working closely with the U.S. Department of State to ensure quality services to Americans victimized abroad. o Reinventing Government. After listening at numerous conferences and meetings to a diverse field of customers, OVC streamlined formula grant guidelines as well as the annual grant application and award process; expanded and enhanced the automated system for reporting use of Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funds; initiated an intradepartmental effort to design a joint Federal report form to reduce paperwork in the field; supported a mentor program for VOCA State administrators to provide state-of-the-art training for grantees; funded the development of compensation program standards and a needs assessment instrument that provide objective benchmarks for States to make program self-evaluation simple and straightforward; and included field-generated grant proposals in program plans that were developed with unprecedented input from the field. o Enhanced communication with the field. OVC became more accessible to constituents not only through increased participation in field activities, but also through the OVC Resource Center, a national information clearinghouse, which disseminated materials to thousands of policymakers, State and local criminal justice professionals, and other individuals. In addition, OVC launched a newsletter and a comprehensive home page on the Internet. o Providing leadership on innovative approaches that benefit victims. OVC advanced cutting-edge practices through grants that will inform the field about how technology can benefit victims; promising practices used by different professionals who interact with crime victims; and the Victim Services 2000 demonstration projects, which will provide training sites that showcase strong community partnerships and comprehensive, collaborative services for crime victims. o Collaboration with other Federal agencies. Many of OVC's projects are supported through partnerships with other agencies. These partners include other Federal agencies such as the U.S. Departments of State, Transportation, Health and Human Services, Interior, Defense, and Treasury; all of the bureaus within the Office of Justice Programs; and other DOJ components such as the Executive Office for United States Attorneys, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Office of Tribal Justice, and the Office of Policy Development. A most extraordinary part of OVC's work has been constant interaction with crime victims themselves-- people like Marilyn Smith, who founded a comprehensive victim service program in Seattle for deaf and deaf-blind victims after trying unsuccessfully to find services herself as a deaf sexual assault victim; Azim Khamisa, who joined with the grandfather of the 14-year-old gang member who murdered his son to provide gang prevention programs in San Diego schools; and the many parents who came together after their children were killed or injured by drunk drivers to support Mothers Against Drunk Driving in its successful efforts to strengthen laws, provide victim impact classes, and educate the public about the devastating impact of this crime. Countless crime victims across America have turned their agony into activism--helping to establish effective prevention and treatment programs in their own communities. They will continue to be a constant source of inspiration to us in our work for they truly demonstrate that the human spirit can overcome any obstacle. The voices of victims across the country have contributed significantly not only to needed public policy and legal reforms, but also to the important work of this office each and every day. It is both an honor and a privilege to work closely at their side. Aileen Adams Director ------------------------------ Executive Summary For more than a decade, the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) has served as the Federal Government's chief advocate for victims of crime. OVC provides significant financial support for victim assistance and compensation programs around the country and has launched a wide range of initiatives to ensure the fair treatment of victims in our legal system and in all other areas of public life. With the passage of the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 (VOCA), Congress created a unique funding mechanism--the Crime Victims Fund (the Fund)--to support services for crime victims. The Fund is derived 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 thousands of crime victims programs throughout the United States. Congress amended VOCA in 1988 and designated OVC as a bureau within the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) in the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to administer the Fund. OVC distributes nearly 90 percent of the Fund money collected each year to States to help fund victim compensation and assistance programs, which for many victims are a lifeline to justice and healing in a time of great need. Federal victim assistance grants support more than 2,800 local victim service agencies serving approximately 2 million victims each year. Compensation funds provide reimbursement to victims for out-of-pocket expenses resulting from crime, such as mental health and health care costs. In addition, OVC sponsors trainings on victims' issues for a wide variety of professions, including Federal, State, and local victim service providers, law enforcement, prosecutors, the judiciary, corrections officials, the religious community, and medical and mental health personnel. OVC also provides training to more than 70 Federal law enforcement agencies, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National Park Service. This report describes the accomplishments that the Office for Victims of Crime has been able to make using deposits from the Crime Victims Fund for grants and other program initiatives. It covers activities from October 1, 1994, through September 30, 1996, or Fiscal Years (FYs) 1995 and 1996, as well as initiatives OVC has undertaken in FY 1997, in response to Section 1407(g) of VOCA, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 10604(g). This section requires the Director of OVC to report every 2 years to the President and Congress on the effectiveness of OVC programs supported by VOCA. Summarized below are OVC's most significant accomplishments during FYs 1995 and 1996. The major OVC and VOCA accomplishments in 1995 and 1996 include: o Made available, through the Crime Victims Fund, $762 million to serve crime victims, the largest 2-year total in the history of the Fund. Deposits to the Fund established records in both FY 1995 ($234 million) and FY 1996 ($528 million). o Awarded $207 million in victim assistance grants to the States. Each year these grants help to provide services to more than 2 million crime victims and support more than 2,800 local victim service agencies across the country. In FY 1997, OVC distributed nearly $400 million to the States through victim assistance grants--the highest total in the program's history. o Awarded $148.5 million in victim compensation grants to the States. Total victim compensation funding rose 38 percent between FYs 1994 and 1996, and 255 percent between FYs 1986 and 1996. In FYs 1995 and 1996, more than 209,000 victims nationwide received benefits, providing critical financial assistance to reimburse victims for lost wages, funeral and medical bills, and mental health counseling fees. In FY 1997, OVC distributed $74.2 million to State compensation programs. o Advocated for victims' rights across America, including the adoption of a victims' rights constitutional amendment supported by the Administration and stronger legislation to protect the rights of victims. OVC helped to secure passage of the 1996 Antiterrorism Act, which expands OVC's authority to assist victims of terrorism and mass violence. o Funded emergency support and longer term advocacy and services for victims during mass tragedies such as the Oklahoma City and Olympic bombings. o Funded nearly a dozen "promising practices" grants that will provide the field with crucial information about excellent strategies for many different professionals, such as law enforcement, prosecutors, the judiciary, and correctional personnel, to improve victim services around the country. o Provided more than $6.4 million to 21 States for services and technical assistance projects in Indian Country under the innovative Victim Assistance in Indian Country and Children's Justice Act programs. o Supported pioneering partnerships between all levels of government and many different agencies to improve services to crime victims, including children's advocacy centers and TRIAD, a partnership between law enforcement and seniors to provide needed assistance to elderly victims. o Enhanced trainings and funding to improve victim services in the Federal system, including major support for the expansion of the FBI's victim-witness program. o Provided funding to train more than 52,000 Federal law enforcement officers from 70 Federal agencies during the past decade. o Established training and technical assistance programs that reached thousands of diverse professionals who serve crime victims, including trainings on crisis response, hate and bias crime, implementation of victim services within community policing and corrections, death notification, victim impact panels, victims' concerns with HIV/AIDS, and elder abuse and other crimes against the elderly. o Funded a project that will explore issues and challenges in responding effectively to victims with disabilities. o Launched innovative initiatives to assist State VOCA administrators, including mentoring programs, regional meetings, national conferences, and a video on victim compensation. o Funded the National Victim Assistance Academy to help professionalize the field by providing hundreds of victim advocates with 46 hours of intensive, academic-based training on victimology and victim services at four separate universities. o Supported training sites that will feature crime-victim-centered systems in which the rights and needs of crime victims are addressed and supported in a comprehensive, collaborative way from the time that a crime occurs to the resolution of the case and beyond. These Victim Services 2000 sites are incorporating promising practices from around the country and will help train others in implementing these practices. o Released a comprehensive report and action plan on providing services to victims of gang violence. o Funded videotapes highlighting promising practices in victim services and the best medical practices for forensic examinations on child victims. o Funded the development of a curriculum for adolescent victims of violent crime for youths in middle and high schools, as well as youth group settings. o Supported initiatives to help ensure implementation of the full faith and credit provisions of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994; a teleconference that provided state-of-the-art domestic violence training for victim service providers and allied professionals; and a conference to build alliances between domestic violence shelters and children's advocacy centers. o Provided technical support and assistance to the United Nations Crime Commission and its member countries committed to instituting victims' rights and services and played a leadership role in developing an international training manual on how to implement victims' rights. o Enhanced communication with other agencies and practitioners in the field of victims' rights through the OVC Resource Center, a national information clearinghouse on victims' issues. Among its many important services, the Resource Center disseminated topic-specific videotapes, training curriculums, and guidebooks developed by OVC grantees and responded to thousands of requests for information from policymakers, State and local criminal justice professionals, and private organizations. o Created the OVC home page (http://www.ojp.usdoj. gov/ovc) on the Internet and distributed OVC's first newsletter--OVC Advocate. Many OVC-supported programs grew out of important partnerships with other agencies. OVC partners include other Federal agencies as well as other bureaus in OJP and other DOJ offices, such as the Executive Office for United States Attorneys and the Office of Policy Development. Examples of these partnerships include the following: o OVC-sponsored mentoring programs have included onsite training for teams from various jurisdictions to learn about promising practices in handling domestic violence cases. These programs were sponsored jointly by OVC and the Violence Against Women Grants Office. o To enhance coordination between domestic violence programs and children's advocacy centers, OVC collaborated with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) to provide onsite technical assistance. In addition, OVC is coordinating closely with OJJDP on hate and bias crime projects and victims of gang violence programs. o The TRIAD program, which is a partnership between older Americans and law enforcement personnel to improve services to elderly crime victims, has been supported by OVC, the Bureau of Justice Assistance, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. o OVC, in partnership with the OJP Corrections Program Office and the National Institute of Corrections, has been assisting State correctional administrators to expand the types of services their agencies offer to crime victims. o OVC's international activities and plans to respond to incidents of mass violence at home and abroad have been coordinated closely with other DOJ offices, as well as with the U.S. Department of State and the National Transportation Safety Board. o At the local level, OVC's first Victim Services 2000 site is based on a solid foundation of communitywide collaboration and cooperation. This report describes all significant OVC initiatives since the beginning of FY 1995. Chapter 1, How Criminals Pay for Victim Services: The Crime Victims Fund, provides an overview of the history and status of the Crime Victims Fund. Chapter 2, Funding Services for Crime Victims: OVC's Unique Role, describes important new developments in OVC's assistance to States through formula grants and other Federal awards. Chapter 3, Sharing Knowledge To Improve Victim Services: OVC-Funded Training and Technical Assistance, discusses new OVC training initiatives to help States provide services to particularly vulnerable groups of crime victims, including victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, drunk-driving crashes, gang violence, homicides, and hate/bias crimes, as well as disabled and older victims. Chapter 4, Using OVC's Diverse Resources To Assist Victims of Terrorism and Mass Violence, sets forth the comprehensive assistance that OVC provided to victims of terrorism and mass violence, including services for victims of the Oklahoma City bombing and the Atlanta Centennial Park bombing during the 1996 Olympics. Chapter 5, OVC's International Efforts on Behalf of Victims: Facing New Frontiers, discusses OVC's leadership role on international victims' issues. Chapter 6, Making Government Work for Victims of Crime: Disseminating Information and Responding to Constituent Requests, describes OVC's efforts to improve the services that it provides to victims of crime, victim service practitioners, and Federal, State, and local agencies working in the field. Included is a discussion of the OVC Resource Center and OVC publications and products, the OVC Training and Technical Response Center, the OVC Trainers Bureau, and a host of other projects to help communities respond to crime victims' needs. Chapter 7, Future Directions, offers OVC's vision for protecting victims' rights and improving victim services in the future. The chapter presents recent legislative and policy initiatives. OVC's efforts have dramatically changed the way victims of crime are treated at the Federal, tribal, State, and local levels and across disciplines of professionals who interact with victims in communities across the United States. The Victims of Crime Act and the Crime Victims Fund have provided a unique form of justice through which convicted Federal offenders help to support victim services (see figure 1). OVC will continue to advance its mission of providing justice and healing for all crime victims in the years ahead. ------------------------------ Chapter 1 How Criminals Pay for Victim Services: The Crime Victims Fund The Crime Victims Fund (the Fund), established by the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 (VOCA), serves as the major source of funding for U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)-assisted victim services throughout the country. As the Federal steward of the Crime Victims Fund, the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) provides national leadership through the management, distribution, and protection of the Fund's resources. The Crime Victims Fund consists of fines collected from persons convicted of Federal criminal offenses, forfeited appearance and bail bonds, special penalty assessments on criminal convictions, and criminal penalties for nonappearance assessed in addition to forfeitures. The Clerks of the Courts and the Administrative Office of the United States Courts receive the money deposited into the Crime Victims Fund. These deposits are the results of collection and enforcement efforts by criminal prosecutors, the U.S. Attorneys' Offices' Financial Litigation Units, and U.S. probation officers. The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) also collects a substantial amount of money every year for the Fund through its Inmate Financial Responsibility Program. OVC has worked closely with the Executive Office for United States Attorneys (EOUSA) to provide training on victims' issues and to help Federal prosecutors and others responsible for collecting criminal fines understand the connection between their efforts and OVC's ability to fund programs that serve crime victims. In addition, OVC recognizes innovative efforts to collect monies for the Fund by coordinating the Attorney General's Crime Victims Fund Award. The efforts of these Federal employees reflect the type of government reinvention efforts that Vice President Gore has encouraged through the Government Performance and Review Act. As mandated by VOCA, Crime Victims Fund dollars are distributed in the following manner. The first $10 million, divided between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ($8.5 million) and OVC ($1.5 million), is used to improve the investigation and prosecution of child abuse cases, particularly cases of child sexual abuse in a manner that limits additional trauma to child victims. The portion administered by OVC is used exclusively to help Native American communities improve the investigation and prosecution of these cases. The remaining Fund deposits are distributed as follows: o 48.5 percent to State compensation programs. o 48.5 percent to State assistance programs. o 3 percent to discretionary funds to provide training and technical assistance and other assistance to expand and improve the delivery of services to crime victims. At least half of these funds must support services to Federal crime victims. During Fiscal Years (FYs) 1995 and 1996, an additional $3 million was taken out of the Fund to help support the National Fine Center, a U.S. Courts' project that was discontinued in 1997. Deposits Into the Crime Victims Fund In FYs 1995 and 1996, approximately $763 million from Federal criminal offenders was collected to serve crime victims--the largest 2-year total in the history of the Crime Victims Fund (see figure 2). These increased collections reflected heightened efforts by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and others to aggressively pursue fines from convicted offenders. In FY 1996, nearly $529 million was deposited in the Fund, eclipsing the previous record of nearly $234 million in FY 1995. A major portion of the Crime Victims Fund is derived from significant fines leveled against corporations. For example, in 1996, the Fund received more than $29 million from Caremark, Inc., a home health care provider that pled guilty to criminal charges stemming from its improper payment to doctors and other professionals to induce them to refer patients to Caremark. Other large fines included a payment of $15.25 million from C.R. Bard, Inc., for billing the Government for defective heart catheters; a fine of $18.5 million from an individual, Lucas West, in a U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) fraud case; a fine of $21.8 million from Lockheed in a Federal Corrupt Practices Act case involving bribery and the Egyptian government; and a $13.5 million fine from the Iroquois Pipeline Operating Company. In 1995, a $549,000 deposit was also made into the Crime Victims Fund from asset forfeitures by convicted spy Aldrich Ames. In addition, the Bureau of Prisons deposits millions of dollars collected from inmates into the Fund each year. Other major deposits are reflected in a Washington Post article, "How Penalties Become Pay-Back" (see figure 3). However, these and many other criminal fines were overshadowed in 1996 by a record $340 million fine paid by the Daiwa Bank following the settlement of its illegal trading fraud case. This single fine exceeded the record total fines collected in all of FY 1995 by more than $100 million. This increase in fines provided OVC and the crime victims field with needed resources to expand services across the country into many unserved and underserved areas, such as rural America. Despite nearly $529 million being available in FY 1997 to fund victims programs, it is unlikely that the Fund will sustain that level of funding in FY 1998. Extreme fluctuations in funding cause victim service programs created in years of substantially increased funds to subsequently shut down in years when funding sources disappear. For example, between FYs 1992 and 1993, there was a decline of more than $75 million in Fund deposits. To ensure continuity of services, OVC has worked closely with victim advocates, the Clinton administration, and Congress to implement strategies to ensure that the increased funding will be distributed by States in a sustainable, consistent manner. As described in further detail below, OVC sponsored regional meetings to assist State VOCA administrators in developing a long-range plan to expend these funds over time and develop priorities for their use. Fiscal Responsibility and Management of the Fund OVC undertook two major efforts in FYs 1995 and 1996 to guard against dramatic decreases in Fund deposits by creating a reserve fund and convening planning meetings with the States to aid in the development of strategic funding plans. In early FY 1995, OVC set aside $20 million in Crime Victims Fund deposits as a reserve fund, as authorized by changes to VOCA made by the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. A provision in Title XXIII of the 1994 Crime Act allows the Director of OVC to "reserve" a portion of the Crime Victims Fund in years of excess deposits for use in future years when the Fund may decline as it has done previously. The reserve fund may also be used as a funding source to assist States in responding to acts of terrorism and mass violence. OVC Director Adams accessed the reserve fund to support substantial services to Oklahoma City bombing victims, including additional funds for victim compensation, crisis counseling, victim travel to Denver, and increased victim-witness staff. The reserve fund was created by Congress to help address the inability to predict future deposits into the Fund. This reserve will help ensure that funding levels to the States remain constant in future years. Following the Daiwa Bank fine, OVC launched an effort to help States and the crime victims field plan how the funding might best be distributed to serve crime victims. In June 1996 OVC hosted a working group with State VOCA administrators and representatives of national crime victims organizations to seek advice regarding the use of increased VOCA funds that were distributed in FY 97. The Daiwa fine meant that State victim assistance programs would receive total funds of almost $400 million in FY 1997 versus the $127 million that they received in FY 1996--a threefold increase. The working group issued several recommendations, including expanding the period States may spend funds to 3 years from the year of award. Congress implemented this recommendation by amending VOCA through a provision of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, which gives States an additional year to expend victim assistance funds beginning with grants awarded in FY 1997. In FY 1997 OVC is continuing its outreach and strategic planning efforts with the States. OVC hosted six regional roundtable meetings of State VOCA victim assistance administrators to help States develop effective funding strategies for FY 1997 (see figure 4). Some strategies encouraged by OVC include (1) expending the one-time influx of FY 1997 funds over a few years to ensure continuity in victims programs; (2) funding automated victim notification systems and other one-time technological enhancements; and (3) expanding services to assist underserved populations such as victims of gang violence, victims with disabilities, and victims living in rural areas. ------------------------------ Chapter 2 Funding Services for Crime Victims: OVC's Unique Role In passing the Victims of Crime Act of 1984, as amended, Congress created two ways to fund crime victims programs: (1) formula grants for States and territories to establish and operate crime victim assistance and compensation programs and (2) discretionary grants for States, localities, and nonprofit organizations. More than 90 percent of the Crime Victims Fund dollars support direct services to crime victims through formula grants to States and territories (see figure 5). In addition to administering funding of direct services through formula grants, OVC provides technical assistance to State formula grant recipients in identifying populations of crime victims requiring unique and specialized services. Moreover, OVC identifies and funds innovative discretionary programs that target these populations and the service providers who assist them in an effort to enhance services and to strengthen the network of crime victim services available across the Nation. For a more indepth discussion of these discretionary programs, see chapter 3. This chapter begins with an overview of the formula and discretionary grants programs, including a discussion of new OVC initiatives to enhance each program. The remainder of the chapter is devoted to illustrations of special projects developed during the past 2 fiscal years that target specific populations of crime victims, such as victims of terrorism, international crime, gang violence, and crimes on Native American lands. Formula Grants Program Crime Victims Fund dollars are allocated to the States to support victim assistance and victim compensation programs that provide immediate financial and emotional assistance to victims. VOCA victim assistance funds are distributed by States to support more than 2,800 of the estimated 10,000 State and local victim services agencies across the United States. These agencies provide an array of direct services and support to victims. These direct service efforts are supplemented by victim compensation payments to crime victims to cover their out-of-pocket expenses resulting from their victimization. New OVC Efforts To Improve Victim Services Through the Formula Grants Program Based upon numerous recommendations from the field, OVC initiated a number of important new projects to improve its victim assistance and compensation formula grants program, including: o Launching a number of innovative initiatives to assist directors of State victim assistance and compensation programs, such as a mentor program for State VOCA administrators to support the exchange of information and expertise among programs, as well as a public service announcement and video on victim compensation. o Sponsoring regional meetings for VOCA assistance administrators to provide a forum for them to exchange ideas and disseminating a report of the meetings to serve as an excellent resource for promising practices and funding strategies. o Streamlining OVC guidelines, as well as the annual grant application and award process. o Enhancing the OVC automated system for reporting use of VOCA funds. o Sponsoring training conferences for State VOCA administrators. o Collaborating with the three other primary Federal funders of crime victim services--the DOJ Violence Against Women Grants Office (VAWGO), the Administration for Children and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the sexual assault grant program office within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention--to develop a joint Federal performance reporting instrument to reduce the reporting burdens on front-line service providers and allow them to focus their efforts on serving crime victims. o Supporting the development of compensation program standards to help set a consistent level of service to victims. o Developing an international directory of victim compensation programs worldwide. The VOCA Victim Assistance Grant Program I left my home with the clothes on my back. The shelter helped me get back on my feet. I'm happy to be among the living and to have a nonviolent home. My children are on the honor roll and they're not as withdrawn as they used to be. And they sleep soundly at night. --A domestic violence victim from Pennsylvania who received assistance through a VOCA-funded battered women's program that provides shelter, counseling, advocacy, and support services to battered women and their children. During FYs 1995 and 1996, OVC awarded $207.1 million in victim assistance grants to the States through provisions of VOCA. Total funding of these grants to States rose almost 95 percent between FYs 1994 and 1996 (see figure 6). From FY 1986 through FY 1996, 57 States and territories received more than $688 million in VOCA victim assistance grant funds. OVC has distributed nearly $400 million in victim assistance formula grants to States and territories in FY 1997--the highest award to States in the 12-year history of program funding. These grants help to provide services for more than 2 million crime victims each year and employ nearly 41,000 victim service staff and volunteers across the country. Of the victims served by VOCA-funded victim assistance programs in FY 1995, 51 percent were victims of domestic violence, 7 percent were adult victims of sexual assault, and nearly 14 percent were victims of child physical or sexual abuse (see figure 7).[1] VOCA victim assistance grants to States support a variety of local victim service agencies (see figure 8), including rape crisis centers, battered women's shelters, children's advocacy centers, victim service units within law enforcement agencies, prosecutor-based programs, hospitals, and social service agencies. These agencies and programs provide services that range from crisis intervention and emergency shelter to counseling, court notification and accompaniment, case tracking, referral for services, transportation, and a host of other critical services that help crime victims heal and participate in the criminal justice process. The VOCA Victim Assistance Grant Program Administration All 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands receive an annual VOCA victim assistance formula grant with a base amount of $500,000. The territories of Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Republic of Palau are eligible to receive a base award of $200,000,[2] as prescribed by VOCA. The remainder of the available funds are then distributed to the States and territories on the basis of population. VOCA authorizes each State to award VOCA Federal funds to the agencies and nonprofit organizations that they believe will best meet the unique needs of crime victims in the community. States establish their own victim assistance grant application process in accordance with guidelines developed by OVC and have maximum discretion to set priorities, establish policies and procedures, identify the services and programs to be funded within the State, and determine the conditions for continuation funding. States also assess statewide crime victims' needs, target resources in those areas, and train advocates to improve services for crime victims. VOCA contains three original priority areas for State distribution of the victim assistance funds: child abuse, domestic violence, and sexual assault. In FY 1995, States awarded 19 percent of their VOCA victim assistance funding to support child abuse services; 36 percent to domestic violence services; and 17 percent to sexual assault services. These percentages varied only two to three percentage points in either direction in FY 1996. In addition, States awarded 22 percent of their victim assistance funds in FY 1995 to support services to underserved crime victims, such as survivors of victims of Driving Under the Influence/Driving While Intoxicated (DUI/DWI) crashes, survivors of victims of homicide, assault victims, adults molested as children, elder abuse victims, robbery victims, and other violent crime victims. Victim Assistance Programs The following are examples of programs and services supported in part by VOCA victim assistance grant funding at the local level during FYs 1995 and 1996: Family Tree's Women in Crisis is the only domestic violence shelter in Colorado's Jefferson County (population 488,300), which covers nine law enforcement municipalities. In 1995 Jefferson County law enforcement agencies made 2,113 arrests for domestic violence-related incidents, and 231 children who had witnessed or experienced domestic violence in their home entered the shelter. Of these children, 122 received counseling services, which included play therapy in individual and group sessions. During that year, more than 438 families were referred elsewhere due to lack of space in the shelter. This number is conservatively estimated to have included more than 1,000 children. Honolulu's Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Office received a total of $64,000 in VOCA funding in FYs 1995 and 1996 to provide comprehensive services to victims of drunk driving crashes and their families, as well as survivors of homicide victims. VOCA funds support a victim advocate who provides crisis counseling, court accompaniment, information and referrals, and assistance in applying for crime victims compensation. The advocate also facilitates support groups for victims of homicide and negligent homicide, as well as individual grief counseling. The Santa Fe Rape Crisis Center was started in 1974 by a handful of dedicated women. In that first year, volunteers handled 20 sexual assault cases out of their homes. After a Federal grant helped to provide staff time, the Center increased its advocacy activity. Coordination among medical, legal, and judicial areas improved services, and a full-time program specialist was added to address the growing need for community education. The Center now has a staff of 17 paid employees and 50 volunteers. The Center provides services to any individual who has been a victim of a sexual assault or attempted assault and suffers from posttraumatic stress disorder. It also provides services to the victim's spouse, parents, and family members. The Center currently provides the following services: a 24-hour crisis intervention line; medical and legal advocacy; crisis intervention; ongoing individual, group, and family therapy for children and adults; education and prevention services for both schools and the community, including the prize-winning "Hands that Hurt, Hands that Heal" prevention program for grades 4 to 6; Fatherlode, a proactive forum for males against sexual violence; StrongHeart, a forensic interviewing service for children; NO MAS (no more sexual abuse), a therapy and community education program in Spanish, serving rural northern New Mexico; an information hotline for all of northern New Mexico; and PARE, an assessment/education and treatment program for children who are sexually abusing other children. AWAKE: Advocacy for Women and Kids in Emergencies was established at Children's Hospital in Boston in 1986 with a VOCA grant. AWAKE was the Nation's first program in a pediatric setting to provide dual advocacy for both battered women and their abused children. The program was created with the belief that by providing help to battered women in conjunction with clinical services to children, both populations are more effectively served. AWAKE integrates crisis intervention and ongoing advocacy services such as risk assessment; safety planning; telephone and in-person counseling; support groups; court, educational, legal and medical advocacy; and referrals to health care services for women and their children. Through training, hospital staff in the area have greater awareness of domestic violence and child protection issues, and assessments for domestic violence and referrals to AWAKE are now routine. Interdisciplinary collaboration to treat the victims of domestic violence has become the norm rather than the exception. Protecci¢n Legal Para Menores (Legal Protection for Children) commemorates its 15th year of providing legal services and assistance to low-income, victimized, and underprivileged persons in St. Paul, Minnesota. Representation of battered women, who often are Spanish speaking, includes taking action on behalf of their children. Services for children include orders for protection and referrals to crisis nurseries. The program also seeks to obtain culturally appropriate custody orders and visitation schedules, which bring structure and stability to children's lives by eliminating random visitation and by recognizing culturally significant holidays. Because children who have been abused are much more likely to engage in antisocial and injurious behavior, staff attorneys play a critical role in children's lives by advocating for needed services. During meetings with school officials, they advocate for academic and behavioral assessments, behavior intervention plans, and academic services such as peer tutoring. Participation in counseling and support groups for the children and their families is strongly encouraged. The Fond du Lac Reservation Child Abuse Program has provided services for 9 years to children who are victims of various types of abuse, including witnessing violence in the home. The program's child abuse advocates offer in-home parenting skills training and office visits and group support to children and their families and serve as a liaison between schools and other providers on and off the reservation. Parenting skills training includes teaching cultural approaches to living and encouraging basic standards of adult individuality and responsibility. The program also helps families follow a plan to prevent continuation of abuse and provide education through videotapes, books, pamphlets, and cultural activities to cope with problems in a constructive manner. Transportation is provided to court hearings and other services when necessary. Project UJIMA (a Swahili word meaning working together to make things right) in Milwaukee is a multidisciplinary collaboration that includes Children's Hospital of Wisconsin and other community agencies that work together to provide services to victims of gang violence, as well as prevention and intervention programs for youth. It establishes a network of services to provide emergency treatment promoting physical and psychosocial recovery from violence and links victims and their families to community agencies that provide long-term psychosocial intervention after the hospital discharge. In the emergency department, peer counselors, community-based staff, and a social worker provide support to victims. In addition to medical care for wounds, home-based visits provide a complete health assessment and integrated violence prevention services. The project also has a monthly educational session for staff on cultural competence and the care of violently injured youth. The VOCA Victim Compensation Grant Program The life of a young woman from Washington State changed forever when the car in which she was riding as a passenger was struck head on by a car driven by a drunk driver. The woman sustained multiple injuries. The treatment for these injuries was long and arduous, and the woman's medical bills were huge. Her employer provided no health insurance, and the drunk driver was uninsured. The woman also lost her income for 18 months because her injuries prevented her from working during that time. The hospital where she was treated assisted her in submitting an application to the Washington Crime Victims Compensation program. The program paid $19,000 in medical bills, $15,000 in lost wages, and an additional $15,000 in permanent disability benefits for the impairments the woman sustained as a result of her injuries. The woman expressed her gratitude during a victim awareness day event. "Without this program," she said, "I would have been in debt for years. It took a lot of pressure off my family and myself. We were able to just concentrate on my getting better." While no amount of money or services can adequately compensate victims like this woman for the physical and emotional trauma caused by crime, the financial assistance provided by State victim compensation programs assists victims with some of the economic costs of crime. Without this help, lost wages and the large medical, counseling, and funeral costs associated with crime can have a devastating impact on individuals already suffering from the crime itself. As shown by a variety of measures, direct payments to crime victims rose dramatically in the past decade. Between 1986 and 1996, claims to State compensation programs across the Nation rose 102 percent. During that period, OVC distributed more than $563 million in VOCA compensation grants to States and territories, and total funding to States increased by 255 percent (see figure 9). In FYs 1995 and 1996, more than 209,000 compensation claims were approved for payment nationwide (see figure 10). OVC awarded $148.5 million in VOCA victim compensation grants to the States in those years, and total funding to States rose 38 percent between FYs 1994 and 1996. In FY 1997, OVC distributed $74.2 million. All 50 States, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam have established victim compensation programs. During this reporting period, 49 States, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands were eligible to receive Federal VOCA victim compensation grant funds. The State of Nevada operates a compensation program and has recently passed legislation that will make it eligible for Federal VOCA compensation grant funds in FY 1998. VOCA victim compensation funds supplement State resources already dedicated to compensating crime victims. States receive a VOCA grant from OVC equal to 40 percent of the amount of victim compensation payments made by the State to crime victims 2 years prior to the grant year (for further information, see figure 11). Thus, the more money that States pay out in compensation to victims, the larger their VOCA victim compensation grant from OVC. Each State maintains its own administrative structure, rules, procedures, and eligibility requirements for distributing crime victim compensation; however, States must abide by general guidelines developed by OVC. Crime victims apply directly to the State for compensation for out-of-pocket expenses incurred as a result of crime. To receive compensation benefits, crime victims must comply with State rules, which generally require that they cooperate with the reasonable requests of law enforcement and submit a timely application to the State compensation office. States have streamlined the application process and reduced the time required to process compensation claims. In addition, States have implemented innovative outreach strategies such as placing compensation specialists at victim services centers to help victims file claims. The VOCA Victim Compensation Funds Serving Crime Victims With acceptance and growing support for victims' rights comes the responsibility to serve victims even more efficiently and effectively than in the past. State victim compensation programs have made great strides in doing so and hold themselves to a higher professional standard than ever before. In FY 1995 OVC funded the development of program standards for victim compensation grant programs. The development of these standards by the National Association of Crime Victim Compensation Boards working with State compensation administrators, victim advocates, and crime victims is a tremendous accomplishment because the standards provide objective benchmarks that make program self-evaluation simple and straightforward. Based on an examination of the most promising practices of State compensation programs, the program standards describe basic and advanced strategies in four performance elements: Sound Financial Planning. Ensuring that each State and Federal dollar for compensating victims is maximized and recovering resources from private insurance and restitution due from convicted defendants are important functions of every State compensation program. Several States have developed efficient financial management systems that maximize funding through collections from offenders, private insurance policies, and other parties. In Iowa, for example, county attorneys are authorized to attach a restitution lien to a defendant's property or other assets at the time of indictment so that the assets cannot be divested after conviction. The State initiated contempt of court proceedings against defendants who become delinquent in their restitution payments. Iowa now recaptures a full 15 percent of their payouts, primarily by mailing notification letters to county attorneys when the victim files a claim and then again after the victim receives compensation benefits. Iowa has also implemented strategies to offset income taxes and garnish and assign wages. Effective Public Outreach. Getting the word out to victims about the availability of compensation benefits and program application requirements is critically important for victims to access program services. Not all compensation programs have public relations budgets but, even in the absence of staff and financial resources, programs have implemented innovative steps to increase public outreach. Arkansas, for example, does a laudable job with public outreach. In addition to providing statewide training, the State's compensation program distributes notification cards to crime victim service providers, law enforcement officials, and the State's victim- witness coordinators on how to file a claim for victim compensation. Program staff also prepare monthly news releases with information about the compensation program and awards that have been made to residents. Arkansas' most creative public awareness project is the Smart Choices, Better Chances program, which educates elementary school students about juvenile violence and the State's crime victim compensation program. Claims Processing. How well claims are processed speaks volumes about a State's commitment to serving crime victims effectively and efficiently. Compensation programs are using technology not only to improve claim processing but also to monitor program performance. Efficient claims processing is most easily accomplished through automation. The New Mexico victim compensation program uses a software system that allows staff to enter all claim information into a data base when the claim is opened. Thereafter, correspondence to the claimant, law enforcement agency, court officials, and service providers can be generated through the data base. The program's director monitors staff case loads and productivity by generating reports, monthly claims processing statistics, and program performance data using the same system. Finally, through New Mexico's restitution data base, program staff monitor compliance with restitution orders, generate delinquency notification letters to offenders, and issue periodic restitution reports. Decisionmaking. Having the ability to make sound decisions and sensitive notifications is an essential part of providing quality services to crime victims. It is difficult, if not impossible, to render fair decisions without a written manual of policies and procedures such as the one produced by this project. In addition, the decentralization of decisionmaking has vastly improved final claim determination outcomes and made the process much more time efficient. For example, when the Massachusetts victim compensation program converted from a court-based to an administrative program in 1994, the decisionmaking process was shortened from 104 weeks to 25 weeks while the number of claims approved for payment increased by 30 percent and payout to victims increased by 25 percent. The Massachusetts compensation program staff review the claims and make recommendations. Decisions are made according to the statute, which clearly outlines eligibility requirements and benefits. Training and technical assistance in each area described above is readily available through OVC's Mentor Program, Trainers Bureau, or Regional and Statewide Training Initiatives discussed further in chapter 6. The State Compensation Program Spotlight Colorado's victim compensation program is administered by 22 judicial districts throughout the State. Each judicial district has a crime victim compensation board appointed by the district attorney, with staff support attached to the district attorney's office. This decentralized funding strategy allows Colorado to process compensation claims in 32 days on average and make payments in 18 days. The national average for claims processing is 6 months. Administrative oversight is provided by the Department of Public Safety, the State's recipient of VOCA compensation grants, which makes funding allocations, provides training and technical assistance, develops a uniform data base of information, and formulates program standards. In FY 1995, judicial districts in the State awarded 4,734 compensation claims totaling $5.5 million. The three largest numbers of claims and dollar awards were made to victims of assault (1,181 claims totaling $2,030,741), domestic violence (1,176 claims totaling $911,412), and child sexual abuse (1,163 claims totaling $983,847). Discretionary Grants Program Although most OVC funds to support victim services are distributed by formula to the States, OVC awards a small fraction of Crime Victims Fund dollars in discretionary grants to national and State organizations to improve national-scope training and technical assistance, as prescribed by VOCA. As discussed subsequently in this report, especially in chapter 3, these discretionary grants support training for victim service professionals and pay for projects designed to identify and fill gaps in services within specific States or local communities. Finally, discretionary monies are used to help develop national goals and strategies for meeting victims' needs today and in future years. Each year, OVC develops a discretionary program plan that identifies the training and technical assistance initiatives to be funded on a competitive basis in the coming fiscal year. Many projects identify promising practices in the areas of law enforcement, prosecution, corrections, probation and parole, victim assistance in rural areas, professional education, and workplace violence. Additional projects focus on promising practices in juvenile court, the collection of restitution, and the use of emerging technologies. OVC develops program and training materials for these projects that can be replicated and implemented across the country. New OVC Efforts To Improve Victim Services Through the Discretionary Grants Program In FYs 1995 and 1996, OVC continued its efforts to expand the knowledge of victim service providers regarding the most effective and promising practices in victim services. Several OVC-funded discretionary projects in FY 1996 focused on helping communities create victim-centered environments that provide comprehensive services for all crime victims. The development of these Victim Services 2000 sites is described further in chapter 7. The following list describes new OVC discretionary projects that improved the delivery of services to victims of crime in FYs 1995 and 1996: o Expansion of the National Victim Assistance Academy, which offers comprehensive, cutting-edge training to victim service providers to improve training in the victim services field. In FY 1996, 110 students graduated from the Academy and Federal attendance rose to 15 from 6 in FY 1995.[3] o Development of a new Training and Technical Assistance Center, which will funnel needed training resources to local, State, tribal, and Federal agencies to strengthen their capacity to serve victims. o Programs to improve the response of communities and the juvenile justice system to victims of juvenile offenders and gang violence. o Development of a comprehensive plan to expand victim-witness training to the FBI and the EOUSA's Office of Legal Education, as follows: Federal Prosecutor Training. OVC funded the detail of an attorney-instructor position at the EOUSA's Office of Legal Education to instruct Federal prosecutors on victims' rights legislation, case law and policy, and prosecutors' duties and responsibilities to Federal crime victims. Federal Law Enforcement Training. OVC funded skills development training of FBI victim-witness coordinators and provided funding for a full-time victim assistance instructor position at the FBI. OVC also continued basic- and advanced-level victim assistance training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center for nearly 11,000 law enforcement officers from 74 Federal agencies. Multidisciplinary Teams. OVC funded training for 94 Federal criminal justice multidisciplinary personnel serving on 28 multidisciplinary teams at the National Symposium on Child Sexual Abuse. Regional Training for Native Americans. OVC funded U.S. Attorneys' Offices to support training for seven regional training seminars for more than 350 Federal and Native American victim service providers addressing Federal victims' rights issues and compliance with statutes and guidelines. To ensure that victim service providers from across the Nation were aware of the opportunity to receive this funding, OVC distributed more than 4,000 discretionary grant program plans and application kits in FYs 1995 and 1996. Discretionary Funding for Programs That Help Federal Crime Victims In addition to providing funding to States for crime victim services, VOCA funding also supports direct services to victims of Federal crimes. This section describes OVC's discretionary funding initiatives in FYs 1995 and 1996 that supported services to this previously underserved population. A priority for discretionary funding in FYs 1995 and 1996 was supporting services for crime victims in Native American communities and Nations. More than $5.7 million was committed during that period to provide direct services to crime victims on Native American lands. Since 1988, the first year OVC awarded discretionary funds for direct services in Indian Country, $6.6 million have been awarded through the Victim Assistance in Indian Country (VAIC) program. Funding was awarded on a competitive basis with continuation funding to tribes and service providers, a strategy that allowed tribes already receiving funds from OVC to build upon existing programs. In addition, $665,000 was allocated for the Children's Justice Act and VAIC training and technical assistance programs, described below, to Native American owned and operated organizations. The funding was used to support cross-cultural skills development and training for Federal criminal justice personnel in Indian Country as well as the Sixth National Indian Nations Conference, which was held in San Diego, California, in January 1997. Crime Victim Fund dollars also supported training for tribal judges, children's advocacy centers in Indian Country, court-appointed special advocates (CASA) in Indian Country, and the development of monographs on victims' issues in Indian Country. Working closely with VOCA victim assistance programs, VAIC fills a critical gap--the lack of victim assistance programs "on reservation" and in remote parts of Indian Country. To date, VAIC has supported 52 reservation-based victim service programs, providing such services as crisis intervention, domestic violence shelters, court advocacy networks, and court transportation. In FY 1995 OVC provided almost $730,000 to State governments to support 36 VAIC programs in 18 States. These programs served 7,266 victims. Approximately 15 percent of the 1995 funds supported child abuse services, 52 percent supported domestic violence services, 4 percent supported adult sexual assault services, and more than 29 percent supported services for victims of other types of crime such as drunk driving crashes (see figure 12). In FY 1996 OVC provided $767,000 in VAIC funding to 18 States to support 37 programs. OVC provides training and technical assistance to the tribes, through a grant to the National Indian Justice Center, to assist in implementing the VAIC programs. In recognition of tribal sovereignty and the government-to-government relationship between the Federal Government and tribes, in 1997 OVC is soliciting applications directly from tribes. Previously OVC gave funding to the States, which then made awards to tribes to establish on-reservation victim assistance programs. Federal Crime Victim Assistance Funds VOCA emphasizes the importance of fair treatment for crime victims who participate in the Federal criminal justice system. To that end, OVC reserves a portion of the discretionary monies from the Crime Victims Fund to provide emergency services to victims of Federal crimes. The programs described in this section were established to help victims participate in criminal justice proceedings and to ensure provision of crucial services such as crisis counseling, transportation to court, short-term child care, and temporary housing and security measures when these services are unavailable through other means. U.S. Attorneys' Federal Crime Victim Assistance Fund In FY 1996, OVC finalized and distributed its Guidelines for Use of the Federal Crime Victim Assistance Fund to all U.S. Attorneys' Offices. The guidelines, developed with input from a DOJ working group, set forth procedures for accessing funds to provide direct services to Federal crime victims in the absence of other resources. The guidelines include lists of allowable and unallowable costs, an explanation of the steps for requesting funds, and a description of the mechanism by which funding is made available. The Federal Crime Victim Assistance Fund is accessible to U.S. Attorneys' Offices through an interagency agreement with EOUSA. The following list provides several examples of how the fund was utilized: o The U.S. Attorney's Office in the Middle District of Tennessee made a request on April 12, 1996, on behalf of two victims of arson and civil rights violations. The crime was committed in August 1994 when the defendant set fire to two homes and a lodge building, burning them to the ground. Though the owners of the homes and lodge were protected with insurance, one home was rented by a man and woman who were not covered and lost everything. OVC assisted by providing payment for temporary lodging and emergency clothing while the victims sought longer term living arrangements. o In October 1995, OVC coordinated with the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Maine, to fund airfare to allow the brother of a murder victim to attend the parole hearing of the murderer. The hearing, held at a Federal prison in Michigan, was postponed and rescheduled three times at the last minute by the offender. These postponements forced family members of the victim to cancel travel arrangements each time. Parole was denied to the murderer following the brother's statement explaining the devastating impact of the crime upon the victim's family. o In October 1995, OVC worked with the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Hawaii, to pay crisis counseling expenses for a victim who was sexually assaulted at sea. The FBI victim-witness coordinator in Washington, the victim's State of residence, helped to find services for the victim. FBI Federal Crime Victim Assistance Fund This program, established by OVC in FY 1996 using $100,000 in VOCA discretionary funds, extends the Federal Crime Victim Assistance Fund to the FBI. The program, which provides direct services to Federal crime victims, will be transferred to the FBI once special accounting procedures have been established. Money in the fund may be used by field offices to pay for crisis intervention; emergency food, shelter, or clothing; emergency legal assistance such as filing restraining orders; and transportation for emergency services. Examples of how the fund has been utilized during FY 1997 include the following: o The FBI field office in Little Rock, Arkansas, paid transportation expenses to allow the mother of a 14-year-old kidnap victim to travel to Detroit, Michigan, to recover the victim. o The FBI field office in Omaha, Nebraska, paid expenses to allow for the recovery of a 12-year-old male victim who had been kidnaped and taken to South Carolina by a documented sex offender. o OVC funds were used by the FBI field office in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to pay for counseling expenses for victims in a violent bank robbery. The robber had taken a bank employee hostage and shot at police several times during the escape. The hostage and bank employees were extremely traumatized by the events. The field office contracted with a psychologist who had been a victim of a bank robbery to provide crisis counseling for the staff of the bank. OVC Support of Training and Technical Assistance for Victim Assistance and Compensation Grants National Association of Crime Victim Compensation Boards In FYs 1995 and 1996, OVC continued its support of the annual national training conferences organized by the National Association of Crime Victim Compensation Boards (NACVCB). OVC staff conducted workshops on OVC's role and responsibilities for assisting State efforts to compensate victims of violent crimes, VOCA statutory requirements, and training and technical assistance that are available to improve services to crime victims. In FY 1995, more than 140 compensation program directors, staff, and board members came together to share program implementation strategies. The NACVCB training conference in FY 1996 was the largest ever, with more than 200 compensation specialists from 49 States. OVC staff members and representatives from six countries also participated. Special sessions for program managers, claims specialists, and board members focused on improving practical job skills and enhancing program performance. The agenda included training on topics such as restitution recovery, automation, contributory conduct, financial planning for compensation programs, domestic violence, child abuse, Native American victims, and board development for victim compensation programs. National Victim Assistance Training Conference In FY 1996 OVC, in cooperation with both the National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA) and the National Criminal Justice Association (NCJA), hosted a National Technical Assistance Conference for VOCA victim assistance administrators. The conference took place during National Victims Rights Week to highlight victims' issues and capitalize on expert resources in Washington during the week. Approximately 75 participants attended plenary sessions and workshops on topical issues such as information technologies and cultural diversity. To enhance State coordination of victim services, representatives from VAWGO described promising approaches adopted by the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA) State grant recipients in meeting the VAWA statutory requirements for serving underserved populations, as well as opportunities for VOCA victim assistance and VAWA program resources to complement State efforts to deliver services to crime victims. Statewide and Regional Victim Assistance Conferences In FYs 1995 and 1996, OVC awarded 23 grants totaling $416,000 to agencies to conduct statewide and regional victim assistance conferences. The conferences brought together crime victim service providers, victim advocates, criminal justice professionals, statewide coalition members, and others who serve crime victims and enforce victims' rights for the purpose of providing cutting-edge training, developing multidisciplinary partnerships and protocols, and encouraging networking among the participants. ------------------------------ Chapter 3 Sharing Knowledge To Improve Victim Services: OVC-Funded Training and Technical Assistance The Victims of Crime Act of 1984 authorizes the Director of OVC to use a small percentage of the Crime Victims Fund to award grants for training and technical assistance. Since its inception, OVC has provided valuable assistance to State and local jurisdictions and to a broad array of professionals who interact with crime victims. Training and technical assistance is of particular value in the field of crime victim services because of the extraordinary circumstances in which those services are provided. Victims of crime suffer severe physical, psychological, and financial hardships, and they require informed, sensitive treatment by personnel from various disciplines that deliver victim services. OVC has committed considerable time and resources to ensure the provision of high-quality assistance to victims and the development of professional competence. This chapter highlights major OVC-funded training and technical assistance initiatives for FYs 1995 and 1996. Whenever possible, OVC delivers training in a multidisciplinary setting to improve the coordination of services and to maximize the sources of funding for training. The initiatives described below include projects organized in collaboration with agencies spanning the Federal criminal justice field, including the FBI, DOD, BOP, the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), and the Department of Health and Human Services. National Victim Assistance Academy The centerpiece of OVC's efforts to train crime victim advocates and allied professionals is the National Victim Assistance Academy. In FY 1995 OVC funded the first Academy through a grant to a consortium of national victim assistance organizations. The purpose of the grant was to make high-quality, college-level educational training available to a diverse group of victim service providers across the country from Federal, tribal, State, and local settings. The Academy represents the first step toward instituting annual training with a core curriculum and creating an academic setting for training candidates. The first Academy was convened in August 1995 at the George Washington University campus, in Washington, D.C. Thirty-two students representing local, State, and Federal victim service agencies from 21 States and the District of Columbia completed the course. These uniquely qualified individuals, all of whom have made a long-term commitment to victims' rights and services, were selected from across the Nation on the basis of geographic and cultural diversity, as well as diversity within their respective victim assistance disciplines. OVC funding allowed students to attend the week-long session free of charge, and 22 students earned three graduate or undergraduate academic credits from California State University at Fresno, Department of Criminology. A special feature of the Academy was the use of compressed video uplink to a second classroom of Academy students in Fresno, California, as well as a state-of-the-art interactive session on how victim service providers can master the information age, with real-time online instructions on using the Internet. The second Academy was held in July 1996 simultaneously on three campuses: the University of Maryland at College Park; Washburn University, Topeka, Kansas; and California State University at Fresno, California. Each site accommodated approximately 40 students for a total of 120 students, 12 of whom were Federal victim-witness personnel. The third Academy, held during July 1997, was expanded to four campuses, reaching 180 students. To refine the Academy concept, a train-the-trainers program for 30 experienced professionals was conducted in Washington, D.C., in December 1996. The program provided specialized training for a select group of professionals who had completed the 45-hour Academy course and who exhibited potential to serve as future Academy faculty in OVC-sponsored or State-sponsored Academy courses. The Academy's 45-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. The curriculum is continuously enhanced by adding new chapters to address emerging issues and underserved victim populations. For instance, the Academy curriculum was expanded to address topics such as bank robbery, white-collar crime/fraud, the military response to victimization, and disabled and Native American victims. OVC is already receiving requests from State and local practitioners to utilize the Academy curriculum and instructors to support training at the State and local levels. Discipline-Specific Training Programs Training for Law Enforcement Professionals Law enforcement officers are often the first responders to crime victims. Any effort to improve the quality and sensitivity of the criminal justice system's response to crime victims begins with training for personnel in this discipline. In FYs 1995 and 1996, OVC initiated a number of projects to provide such crucial training. OVC funded domestic violence training at a national Women in Policing conference; the OVC Director provided training for law enforcement officers on victims' issues over the Law Enforcement Training Network; and the OVC curriculum on hate and bias crime and elder abuse was widely used by law enforcement around the country. In addition, OVC training projects included: Community Policing and Victim Services Pilot training sessions for OVC's "Implementation of Victims Services Within Community Policing" project were held in four cities--Seattle, Washington; Gaithersburg, Maryland; Charlotte-Mecklenberg, North Carolina; and Denver, Colorado. These cities were selected because of geographic differences and their various methods of applying community-oriented policing activities. Promising Practices for Law Enforcement The way in which law enforcement officers treat victims in the wake of a victimization can have a profound impact on how well and how quickly victims recover from traumatic events. This project is identifying and documenting innovative policies, procedures, practices, and programs used by law enforcement agencies to respond to the needs of crime victims. A compendium of promising practices and an OVC Bulletin will be completed in FY 1997. National Domestic Violence Teleconference OVC cosponsored and participated in a national teleconference to train law enforcement officials on promising practices when handling domestic violence cases. This teleconference was viewed at 165 locations in 45 States across the country, by nearly 4,000 criminal justice professionals and victim advocates. A second teleconference in June 1997 covered the issue of domestic violence and its impact on children. Federal Bureau of Investigation Under the Attorney General's Guidelines on Victim and Witness Assistance (AG Guidelines), the FBI has a number of important responsibilities for ensuring that the rights and needs of Federal crime victims are met. OVC's work with the FBI has evolved into a full-fledged partnership based on the FBI director's support of the FBI's role in meeting victims' needs and rights. During FYs 1996 and 1997, OVC provided intense technical assistance and funding to the FBI to enhance services to victims of Federal crime. In FYs 1995 and 1996, VOCA supported funding for a number of training programs for FBI victim- witness coordinators. OVC has undertaken the following activities to help the FBI fulfill its responsibilities under the AG Guidelines and strengthen the FBI victim-witness program: o Funded two temporary positions to help staff the FBI Headquarters Victim-Witness Assistance Program for a period not to exceed 3 years. A victim-witness assistance specialist will provide dedicated staff for training and technical assistance conferences and seminars, serve as a liaison with field offices, conduct site visits to monitor implementation of victim-witness assistance responsibilities, and oversee other appropriate quality control issues. Another victim-witness assistance specialist will provide new agent training in Quantico, Virginia, and help produce training videos and manuals as well as conduct conferences and seminars. o Funded trainings in FYs 1995 and 1996 for the 56 FBI administrative staff members who were assigned collateral duties as victim-witness coordinators. o Assisted the FBI, with input from EOUSA, the Office of Policy Development, and victims organizations, in updating the FBI victim-witness brochure, which contains general information on victims' rights and services. This brochure, accompanied by another FBI pamphlet under development, will be given to every victim identified in FBI investigations. o Funded two model victim-witness programs in FBI field offices in Tampa, Florida, and Salt Lake City, Utah, to provide comprehensive victim services. The program in Salt Lake City will address the needs of Native American victims, and the program in Tampa will address white-collar crime targeting elderly victims as well as violent crime. The programs will be replicated elsewhere in the field after their demonstration. As noted in chapter 2, OVC recently established Federal Crime Victim Assistance Funds for the FBI to assist victims in participating in the criminal justice system when no other resources are available to help with transportation, child care, and other needed support. Federal Law Enforcement Training Center Since 1986 OVC has provided funding to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) to provide victim-witness training to Federal law enforcement officers at its campuses in Glynco, Georgia, and Artesia, New Mexico. Over the past decade, 52,632 Federal law enforcement officers have received training on victim-related topics such as interviewing techniques, financial fraud, and white-collar crime. FLETC also conducts regional training sessions and develops victim-witness training manuals, lesson plans, audiovisual materials, articles for publication, and other training products. FLETC training is provided to law enforcement officers from more than 70 Federal agencies. Federal Criminal Justice Personnel Training In FYs 1995 and 1996, OVC provided $1,915,000 in funding for thousands of Federal criminal justice personnel to receive OVC-sponsored training (see figure 13). For example, OVC sponsored teams of Federal prosecutors, investigators, victim-witness coordinators, and tribal service providers to attend the National Symposium on Child Sexual Abuse in Huntsville, Alabama. Selection criteria were based on the number of child abuse cases prosecuted in the participants' districts, their use of multidisciplinary teams, and special considerations such as large numbers of Indian reservations or military installations under Federal jurisdiction. Other training sessions attended by Federal criminal justice personnel with VOCA support included: o OVC's Crime Victims and Corrections initiative, which has provided training on victims' issues for 200 military personnel. o The Dallas Crimes Against Children Seminar in FY 1996, which provided training for 31 Federal law enforcement officers. o OVC's Military Communities Assisting Crime Victims Conference, which provided training for 1,400 military personnel. o OVC's Dual-Track Conference with EOUSA, which supported training for 100 victim-witness coordinators. o OVC's Multijurisdictional Child Exploitation program, which supported training for 150 Federal law enforcement investigators, prosecutors, and victim-witness coordinators. o Trainings provided by the National Center for Prosecution of Child Abuse, which delivered courses to 112 Federal prosecutors on prosecuting child abuse cases effectively. OVC also sets aside funding for various Federal agencies to enhance their capacities for responding to victim and witness needs. The funds were used to support requests for training and production and distribution of brochures, pamphlets, videotapes, and other materials that explain victims' rights and agency responsibility for implementing victim programs and enforcing rights. Trainings for Prosecutors Prosecutors' offices have the most contact with victims during the adjudication of cases. OVC has invested considerable resources in improving the types and quality of services provided to victims by these offices. In this section examples are given of OVC-funded projects involving prosecutors that were begun in FYs 1995 and 1996. OVC sponsored many diverse trainings for Federal, State, and local prosecutors. Federal Prosecutors Federal prosecutors are charged with ensuring that victims' rights are taken into consideration during the adjudication stage of the justice system. All 94 U.S. Attorneys, their assistants, and victim-witness coordinators must abide by the provisions contained in the Federal Crime Victims' Bill of Rights and the AG Guidelines. These responsibilities range from protecting victims from the accused offender to enforcing orders of restitution. OVC has supported a variety of training and technical assistance opportunities for staff from U.S. Attorneys' Offices. Examples of this training support include: Office of Legal Education Victim Rights and Legal Issues Instructor. In this project, OVC initiated support to help the Office of Legal Education provide victims' rights and responsibility training for Federal prosecutors, including supporting the development of a draft litigation curriculum and presenting classroom instruction on Federal victims' rights legislation, case law, and policy. The Office of Legal Education received $100,000 in Federal VOCA funds to hire a trainer on victims' rights. District-Specific Training. OVC's district-specific training program assists U.S. Attorneys' Offices in complying with Federal crime victims' legislation and in improving services to Federal crime victims in their districts. In FYs 1995 and 1996, OVC approved 10 training requests under this project and expended $150,000. The training supported by this funding provides discipline-specific, day-long workshops as well as conference support for regional, multidisciplinary programs and scholarships for conference participants. Federal Prosecutor and Victim-Witness Coordinator Travel. OVC provides funding to allow victim-witness coordinators and prosecutors from U.S. Attorneys' Offices to attend OVC-sponsored or victim-related training conferences across the country. These funds are made available through an interagency agreement with EOUSA and cover travel-related expenses. In addition, OVC funded three model program initiatives during FYs 1995 and 1996 to help U.S. Attorneys in three districts--Eastern District of Wisconsin, Northern District of California, and the District of Columbia--develop comprehensive crime victim programs and services, create specialized services for child victims of crime during prosecution, and identify promising practices in serving white-collar crime victims. Each model program will serve as a demonstration site and support replication of program efforts through training, videotapes, and written manuals and publications. OVC and EOUSA have had a longstanding partnership to address the needs of crime victims during prosecution. In FY 1996 OVC funded a position in EOUSA for a violence-against-women specialist. This position provides training and technical assistance to victim- witness coordinators and Assistant U.S. Attorneys throughout the country on the relevant provisions of VAWA, including the battered immigrant women provisions. Since coming on board, the specialist has conducted five training events and trained 199 victim-witness coordinators and Assistant U.S. Attorneys. OVC will continue to support training and collaboration efforts for Federal prosecutors in FY 1997. In early FY 1997, for example, OVC and the Office of Community Orientated Policing Services (COPS) cosponsored EOUSA's Law Enforcement Victim Witness Coordinator Conference, which brought together U.S. Attorneys and their Law Enforcement Coordinating Council victim-witness coordinators from all districts to discuss the importance of treatment of victims within the Federal criminal justice system. The OVC Resource Center (OVCRC) established an onsite distribution center that provided 34 documents and close to 4,000 pieces of informational materials for victims and participants. Other FY 1997 activities include support for three to four new demonstration projects in U.S. Attorneys' Offices, a symposium to improve the response of Federal victim-witness coordinators to the rights and needs of elderly victims of telemarketing scams and frauds and crisis response team training for Federal victim-witness coordinators. Promising Practices for Prosecutors This project will identify the elements of exemplary victim-related prosecutorial practices; find existing practices, programs, or models of excellence that contain these elements; prepare detailed descriptions of promising practices; and prepare a plan for disseminating this information to prosecutors' offices nationwide. A compendium of promising practices and an OVC Bulletin will be completed in FY 1997. Protecting Victims' Rights: A Prosecutor's Priority OVC is funding the American Prosecutors Research Institute (APRI) to develop a handbook for prosecutors on establishing and improving prosecutor-based victim services programs. As part of the project, APRI will also develop a directory of existing prosecutor-based victim services programs throughout the country. Trainings for Court Personnel In FYs 1995 and 1996, OVC developed a number of programs to help the judiciary and court personnel improve services to victims. The Juvenile Justice System OVC devoted much energy to finding ways to improve the juvenile justice system's response to crime victims in FYs 1995 and 1996. OVC worked closely with OJJDP to develop the National Juvenile Justice Plan, which was released in FY 1996. Based on OVC input, the plan includes recommendations for better treatment of victims of juvenile offenders in the juvenile justice system. OVC worked to ensure that those recommendations balance concerns for those harmed by juvenile offenders with concerns for the juvenile offenders themselves. A separate section of the Plan recommended that the rights of victims of juvenile offenders mirror the rights of victims of adult offenders. These include the right to notification, the right to make an impact statement, and the right to receive restitution. The Plan also includes other victim-friendly recommendations, such as the inclusion of crime victims and their advocates in community coordination efforts and opportunities for juvenile offenders to understand and make reparations for the long-term damage they have caused. Juvenile Court Response to Victims of Juvenile Offenders In addition to its efforts with OJJDP, OVC is funding a project to identify and describe promising practices that assist and support the rights of victims in juvenile courts. The project will develop a training and technical assistance package to assist juvenile court personnel and probation staff in incorporating the promising practices into their court systems. An assessment report profiling promising practices and legislation will be compiled, as well as a training curriculum, trainers' manual, and related technical assistance materials. A number of short informational pamphlets on specific topics related to victims' rights and services in the juvenile court process will also be produced. The Judiciary Judges also need training on crime victims' issues that arise in court, and OVC has developed programs to meet those needs. In FY 1995, for example, OVC developed its Tribal and Federal Judges initiative in collaboration with the DOJ Office of Policy Development and the Federal Judicial Center. This project will update a Judge's Benchbook with materials relevant to physical and sexual abuse of Native American children; develop a training conference using the new materials; and support scholarships for tribal judges to attend the conference. In addition, OVC has developed initiatives to train juvenile court judges on important victims' concerns and victims' rights legislation. In FY 1997, OVC convened a working group of a dozen judges to provide recommendations on how the judiciary can be more sensitive to victims. Trainings for Professionals in Corrections Services for crime victims should not end with the incarceration of the offenders. Many victims wish to be notified of changes in the offenders' status and to have the opportunity to appear at hearings. During the past few years, OVC has made great headway in improving the response of the corrections community, including the prison, probation, and parole systems, to the rights and needs of crime victims. Until quite recently, many victims and victim advocates have considered corrections to be the "last frontier" of the criminal justice system. This view began to change in the late 1980s, when leading members of the corrections community expressed a desire to assist their agencies in becoming more aware of the needs of crime victims and developing services to address those needs. In 1991, in response to the new openness of some corrections officials to victim issues and services, OVC funded two national, corrections-based training and technical assistance programs. One focused on institutional corrections and the other on community corrections. These projects provided training and technical assistance in the following areas: o Integrating victims into agency goals and practices. o Understanding the victim experience and assessing crime's impact. o Collecting and managing restitution payments. o Incorporating other victim services. o Work-related staff victimization. o Educating offenders about the impact of crime. o Victim/offender programs. o Building networks with local victim service agencies. o Legal rights of victims. By late 1994 the two projects had provided intensive training to 15 State corrections programs, DOD correctional officials, and BOP. In addition, training and technical assistance were provided to approximately 20 additional States. The projects also achieved major accomplishments through their work with affiliated professional associations, including establishing standing victims committees with the American Probation and Parole Association (APPA) and the Association of Paroling Authorities International, and developing new standards for essential victim services and recommendations for victims of juvenile offenders with the American Correctional Association. OVC continued to build on these efforts to create systemic change in FYs 1995 and 1996. Major corrections-related activities included a project to improve the correctional system's response to the needs and rights of crime victims; a project to identify, disseminate, and encourage the replication of innovative policies, procedures, and programs developed by probation and parole agencies to respond to the needs of crime victims; funding for seminars to assist in the development of programs where victims, as one aspect of their recovery process, tell offenders about the impact of crime on their lives, families, and communities; funding for seminars to address agencies whose staff members regularly deal with offenders; and funding for train-the-trainers seminars on victim assistance efforts within probation, parole, and other community corrections agencies and programs. U.S. Parole Commission and Federal Bureau of Prisons In FY 1996, through an interagency agreement with the U.S. Parole Commission, OVC provided $54,000 to fund a victim-witness coordinator position to provide services for victims and witnesses wanting to attend Federal parole revocation hearings and receive notification of the results of those hearings. The coordinator also is responsible for coordinating with BOP when offenders are returned to prison to ensure that victims of the original Federal offenses are notified of the offender's return to prison, any subsequent parole considerations, and the offender's eventual release. A survey and evaluation are being conducted to identify helpful information for State systems seeking to replicate this effort. In FY 1997 OVC, the Parole Commission, and BOP began discussing a possible expansion of the Bureau's Victim-Witness Notification Program to enroll victims and witnesses of crimes committed while offenders are on parole. Notification will be provided when parole is revoked and the parolee is returned to Federal correctional custody. Enrollment to the Bureau's program is currently made by victim-witness coordinators in U.S. Attorneys' Offices, who may not become involved in the parolee's new crime. To remedy this, a separate entry system is being set up through the OVC-funded victim-witness coordinator at the U.S. Parole Commission, who will handle these enrollments and victim notification. In addition, OVC is working with the BOP Planning Group on Victim Issues to develop a long-term strategy to respond in a comprehensive and integrated way to the needs of crime victims, their communities, and victimized staff members. OVC's Trainers Bureau sponsored a facilitator who provided a review of the breadth of corrections-based victim services and the most promising practices currently in place across the country. Trainings for Professionals in the Military In FYs 1995 and 1996, OVC continued its longstanding and successful relationship with DOD in providing assistance to the military services in implementing responsive victim assistance programs. The OVC-DOD collaboration is an outstanding example of interagency cooperation that has produced systemic change and a model strategy for the Federal criminal justice system to emulate. In FYs 1995 and 1996, OVC and DOD worked in tandem to develop policies, programs, and procedures that benefit crime victims and cosponsored training for the military victim assistance community. Major initiatives included a course in 1995 at the Army Health Sciences Academy on handling multivictim child abuse cases; three training conferences on assisting crime victims attended by teams of prosecutors, investigators, social and mental health professionals, and chaplains from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines; a series of train-the-trainers sessions, cosponsored by the California Youth Academy, for 80 military instructors who will teach an "Impact of Crime" class to inmates at military correctional facilities; and a collaboration with the Army Criminal Investigative Division (CID) to discuss possible OVC-CID victim-witness assistance efforts. Trainings for Professionals in the Mental Health and Medical Fields Mental Health Through an OVC grant, the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape developed and pilot-tested a training manual entitled Victim Empowerment: Bridging the System--Mental Health and Victim Service Providers. Requests for further training opportunities with this curriculum has led OVC to support five training seminars for mental health and victim service providers in FY 1997. The manual consists of a trainer's guide and student materials on the trauma of victimization, posttraumatic stress disorder, rape trauma, integrating awareness of victimization into treatment, and the therapy relationship. Medical The development of a videotape highlighting best medical practices for forensic examinations of child victims is currently under way through a grant to Los Angeles County-University of Southern California Medical Center. Dr. Astrid Heger, executive director of the Center for Vulnerable Children, and other pediatricians and physicians who work with child victims are members of the project advisory committee. The video will be produced in 1997 and will feature use of technology to provide needed medical services from urban areas to underserved rural populations. The film will be distributed to hospitals and medical facilities across the country, as well as to children's advocacy centers and other organizations at the Federal, tribal, State, and local levels to improve investigations and reduce trauma to child victims. Training for Educators and Other School Personnel At the front end of the continuum of disciplines and professionals that interact with crime victims and potential crime victims are schools and teachers. In FYs 1995 and 1996, OVC funded a number of initiatives to better equip schools to teach school children about victimization and grief. They include: o Healing Hearts, Mending Minds, a multipurpose curriculum for adolescent victims of violent crime for use in middle and high schools and youth group settings. o Videotapes and a guidebook to help victim assistance professionals, school counselors, and youth program personnel respond to grieving children who have survived or witnessed homicide or other violent crimes, including domestic and spousal abuse. o School-based projects to assist preteen and teenage victims and witnesses of gang violence and other crimes committed by juveniles. o A compendium of best criminal justice system practices for handling cases of adolescent victims of sexual assault. OVC also has sought to enhance the training of professionals who work with crime victims by improving crime-victim-related course work and training at graduate schools. With OVC funding, the Allegheny-Singer Research Institute (ASRI) and Victims Services, Incorporated, of New York (VSNY) are collaborating to produce a multidisciplinary victim assistance core curriculum that can be adapted by graduate and undergraduate schools to integrate victim assistance information into existing courses or to develop new specialized courses that focus on crime victimization. Training and Technical Assistance for Special Populations Vulnerable to Victimization In addition to general victim training, OVC funded training in FYs 1995 and 1996 for a variety of service providers who assist victims of particular types of crimes, including victims of sexual assault and domestic violence, victims of child abuse and child sexual abuse, survivors of homicide victims, victims of hate/bias crimes, victims with disabilities, victims with HIV/AIDS, victims in rural areas, victims and survivors of drunk driving crashes, and elderly victims. In particular, the passage of VAWA spurred renewed commitment to combating gender-based crime in America. OVC has devoted considerable discretionary resources to help States develop tools and strategies to improve services to women who are victimized by violence. OVC worked closely with VAWGO and DOJ's Violence Against Women Office to develop the programs for victimized women described below and to coordinate their activities. The following discussion provides a sampling of training made available to agencies and organizations that provide services to specific victim populations. Victims of Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Victims of Sexual Assault In FY 1996, OVC funded a project to develop comprehensive training for rape crisis counselors and victim advocates responsible for providing services and securing rights for adult victims of sexual assault. The Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation will provide a training curriculum that presents effective service delivery strategies, including crisis counseling, support groups, criminal justice advocacy, outreach, and referral services. OVC also plans to incorporate the curriculum into the training offered at the National Victim Assistance Academy. Victims of Statutory Rape In FY 1997, OVC sponsored, in conjunction with the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and the DOJ Office for Policy Development, a focus group to explore key issues in prosecuting cases of statutory rape and assisting victims of this crime. The focus group comprised prosecutors, policymakers, and victim advocates from across the country. Information gleaned from the meeting will assist the American Bar Association (ABA) in identifying promising practices in the enforcement of statutory rape laws, and OVC funding is supporting the publication of a compendium of statutes, implementation efforts, and programs. OVC also funded an FY 1997 project to address young teenage girls who are sexually victimized by older men. With OVC support, ABA's Center on Children and the Law will develop a compendium of best criminal justice system practices in handling cases of adolescent sexual assault. Domestic Violence Victims In FY 1995, recognizing the necessity of protection for battered women victimized across State lines, OVC provided discretionary funding to develop model policies, procedures, and tools for implementing the full faith and credit provision of VAWA. The Battered Women's Justice Project (BWJP) is a training and technical assistance initiative that promotes consistent enforcement of civil and criminal protection orders in State and tribal courts throughout the country. BWJP is undertaking an indepth, State-by-State analysis of enforcement efforts and providing training and technical support for State and Federal prosecutors, law enforcement, and courts. A pilot project in Kentucky to implement the VAWA full faith and credit provisions was funded jointly by OVC and the COPS Office. This project is an intrastate as well as an interstate enforcement effort that will help ensure that domestic violence victims in Kentucky receive a consistent level of services from trained law enforcement and court personnel, even in the event victims travel to or relocate in another State. Community Responses to Family Violence In FYs 1996 and 1997, OVC funded ABA and the American Medical Association (AMA) to conduct a series of regional conferences in FY 1996 involving multidisciplinary teams to address the issue of family violence. These teams included a variety of criminal justice and medical professionals, including victim advocates and law school clinics. Victims of Child Abuse OVC primarily supports direct services to victims of child abuse through the formula grants programs to States. However, the agency has also supported a number of discretionary programs to assist child victims. In FY 1996 OVC funded a conference for spousal and child abuse service providers to identify recommendations for developing a collaborative response to domestic violence and child abuse. The conference focused on the impact of domestic violence on children and the development of strategies for intervention and services. OVC continues to work with other DOJ and Federal agencies to fund a focus group to identify the unique needs of children who have witnessed spousal abuse and to explore ways to address those needs collaboratively. In FY 1996 funding was awarded to establish a hospital-based emergency shelter to provide temporary housing for victims of spousal assault and their children. This groundbreaking pilot program will serve as a demonstration site for other communities interested in creating collaborative opportunities among medical, law enforcement, and victim advocacy professionals to address the advocacy and short-term shelter needs of domestic violence victims. This type of arrangement provides unique opportunities for private insurance companies and other third-party sources to support services for domestic violence victims. Protocols and procedures for documenting program development will be produced for replication, as well as a detailed report documenting program effectiveness. OVC and OJJDP also jointly funded a project that developed a protocol to improve multijurisdictional child exploitation investigations and prosecutions and to work toward establishing a victim assistance component to child exploitation task forces. The project coordinated the provision of victim services with investigations and prosecutions of multijurisdictional child exploitation task forces in four sites--Boston, Chicago, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. The project included training sessions for multijurisdictional team members by Search and IBM on computer crimes against children. In FY 1996 OVC worked with other bureaus within OJP to develop the Safe Kids/Safe Streets Project, which coordinates Federal, State, and local resources into a comprehensive prevention and intervention program for child victims and their families. This program seeks to: o Create system reforms to improve services for abused children. o Provide training and technical assistance support to practitioners who serve child victims and their families. o Strengthen a continuum of family support services to ensure that assessment, counseling, and victim assistance services are available. o Ensure the uniformity of evaluation protocols across sites. o Provide prevention education and public information. Currently OVC is providing training, technical assistance, and training materials on improving services for child victims in six communities serving as demonstration site grantees. Assistance is focusing on expanding the availability of medical services to sexually and physically abused children and mentoring or training programs for communities wishing to establish children's advocacy centers. New technologies, specially trained nurse practitioners, and coordinated forensic examinations and other medical services to child victims will be used at these sites to improve medical services for young victims. Victims of Gang Violence Victims of gang violence and their survivors often are afraid to exercise their rights as victims because of the retaliation and intimidation that commonly accompany such violence. Victims of gang violence also face the stigma of blame for the violence they experience or are dismissed as contributing to the crime. With increased legislative and programmatic focus by Federal, State, and community agencies to combat gang violence, OVC has stepped up its efforts to assist victims and survivors of gang violence in the following ways. Working Group and Symposium. In May and August 1996, OVC and OJJDP convened a Victims of Gang Violence planning group to consider strategies for assisting these victims. The planning group included representatives of organizations that provide services to victims of gang violence, a supervising parole agent, a municipal court judge, and actual victims of gang-related violence. The group discussed and presented a number of recommendations (see figure 14), including the following: o Establish a national network of professionals and volunteers concerned with victims and witnesses of gang violence to provide vision, support, and direction to Federal, State, tribal, and local initiatives. o Create comprehensive vertical assistance units for victims of gang violence that offer multilingual services, emergency crisis response services, accompaniment throughout the criminal justice system, and training for service providers. o Support hospital-based counseling and prevention programs that provide services to gang violence victims. Protocols that address security and safety for hospital personnel and victims will be included as part of these programs. o Establish school-based counseling and prevention programs addressing gang violence. These programs should include antiviolence curriculums, support groups, and conflict resolution/peer mediation modules. o Provide Federal funds for training sites that showcase promising practices such as comprehensive victim assistance programs based in prosecutors' offices, hospitals, and schools. o Develop training curriculums that include cross- disciplinary information for professionals who deal with victims and witnesses of gang violence. Training should be provided for first responders on how to deal with survivors at the crime scene; funeral directors on how to deal with gangs before, during, and after funeral services; all criminal justice personnel including police, prosecutors, and judges; mental health professionals; compensation providers; and teachers. o Develop protocols for debriefing all crisis responders to victims of gang violence, including emergency medical technicians and law enforcement personnel, who face serious threats to their physical and emotional well-being when not provided with ongoing opportunities for debriefing following critical incidents. o Establish policies, protocols, and programs including both emergency and short-term relocation programs, security measures in courthouses and at correctional facilities, and secure transportation to ensure safety for victims and witnesses of gang violence and those who assist them at the Federal, State, tribal, and local levels. Furthermore, prosecutors should be encouraged to use every legal measure to ensure the safety of such witnesses before, during, and after case disposition. o Assess the availability of Federal resources for victims of gang violence and provide funding to encourage the proliferation of promising practices that reduce gang violence and assist victims. All federally funded gang intervention and suppression programs and planning groups should include services for victims of gang violence. o Establish an ongoing working group on victims and witnesses of gang violence to provide assistance in the development of training curriculums, selection of demonstration sites, and implementation of the above recommendations. A complete symposium report was published in 1996. Copies are available from OVCRC (see appendix D). In FY 1997 OVC is committed to addressing many of the recommendations set forth by the planning group. OVC is working with OJJDP and other DOJ components to ensure that federally funded gang programs include needed services for victims of gang violence. OVC also intends to support an expanded planning group with diverse representation to identify resources needed to assist victims of gang violence and those who serve them. In FY 1996, OVC committed $175,000 to a field-initiated project that is developing technical assistance materials to help victim service providers improve assistance to victims of gang-related crimes. The funding will assist the grantee in identifying and documenting the successful ways agencies and communities are serving victims of gang violence and their families. A package of technical assistance materials will be developed and pilot tested in at least two jurisdictions. In addition, OVC has committed FY 1997 funding to establish two demonstration programs in a school or community to provide replicable comprehensive services to young victims and witnesses of gang violence and other juvenile crimes. OVC funds will also support the development of a victim service component at OJJDP gang demonstration sites. Survivors of Homicide Victims In FYs 1995 and 1996, OVC funded several important initiatives to help train diverse service providers regarding victim-sensitive death notification. Those programs are described below. In addition, OVC has encouraged States to cover mental health counseling costs for survivors of homicide victims who live outside the State where the victim was killed. The few States that do not currently cover these costs are reconsidering their policies. To complement VOCA victim assistance funding to States that support services to surviving family members of homicide victims, OVC is funding the Anti-Violence Partnership of Philadelphia program in FY 1997 to develop, test, and refine a curriculum for mental health clinicians, doctors, prosecutors, and others who provide services to homicide victims. Many professionals do not have specialized training in treating this underserved population of victims. Victims and Survivors of Drunk Driving Crashes In FYs 1995 and 1996, nearly $4 million in VOCA victim assistance funded 1,144 drunk driving programs across the Nation. OVC is committed to providing technical assistance to State VOCA administrators so that funds can be used to support victim impact panels in trainings of all victim service providers, in schools, and in correctional facilities. Studies have shown that participation in these panels is part of the healing process for many crime victims. In FYs 1995 and 1996, OVC provided funding to MADD for two important initiatives: train-the-trainer courses on death notification and training for correctional facilities to establish victim impact panels. The death notification curriculum was funded in 1995 as a field-initiated project at $100,000. Different curriculums were developed for the professionals who are first responders or who provide services to homicide survivors: law enforcement, mental health counselors and victim advocates, medical personnel, clergy, and funeral directors. These curriculums have resulted in specialized training for professionals and improved services for crime victims. With the support of OVC's grant, 437 professionals attended four seminars and 216 attended an extended train-the-trainer seminar. The seminars focused on sensitive and supportive techniques for notifying people of the deaths of loved ones and included current research on the homicide survivor experience, information on first-responder stress, and a 19-step notification procedure. Each seminar also included a panel of homicide survivors who talked about their notification experiences. After attending one of these trainings, numerous agencies, primarily law enforcement, changed their policies to become more victim oriented. An unanticipated benefit of this very successful project was that the International Association of Chiefs of Police developed a model policy on death notification for police departments around the country. This project is continuing in 1997, enabling MADD to provide four more regional training and train-the-trainer events. Another important project in which MADD participated was begun as part of the Victim Assistance in Community Corrections grant. MADD and the California Youth Authority (CYA) joined forces to develop a national "Victim Impact Classes/Panels for Offenders" training seminar. Funded at $32,427, in 1995, the seminar combined the information from MADD's Victim Impac