October 12, 2009, marks the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA). VOCA was developed in conjunction with the President's Task Force on Victims of Crime and the work of victim advocates. This federal law, passed by Congress in 1984 and amended in 1988, called for the establishment of the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) and created the Crime Victims Fund (the Fund), which provides funds to states for victim assistance and compensation programs that offer support and services to those affected by violent crimes.

The Crime Victims Fund is financed by fines and penalties paid by offenders, not from tax dollars. Through OVC, more than 4,400 state and local victim assistance programs receive support from the Fund. More information on these programs is available from each state agency. Get to those agencies through OVC's Links to Victim Assistance & Compensation Programs.

An overview of how VOCA works is illustrated in the following chart.

The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) in the U.S. Justice Department Office of Justice Programs (OJP) is responsible for administering the Crime Victim Fund and for overseeing and monitoring programs that receive Crime Victim Fund monies.