Protecting & Supporting Victims of Crime

Overview

The rate at which citizens of the United States are victimized continues a marked decline. Statistics from the most recent National Crime Victimization Survey show that violent and property crime rates for 1997 were the lowest recorded since the survey began in 1973. But though the rate of crime has dropped, the sheer number of criminal victimizations in this country remains unacceptably high. The survey shows that U.S. residents 12 and older experienced 35 million victimizations, including 8.6 million rapes, robberies, or assaults. There were 18,209 murders, or one every 29 minutes. While that number is down 7 percent from 1996, there can be no minimizing the devastating impact on the hundreds of thousands of family members, friends, and loved ones left to pick up the pieces. Finally, the survey indicates that crime especially impacts young people. Persons ages12 to 19 were twice as likely as those ages 25 to 34 and about three times as likely as those ages 35 to 49 to be victims of violent crime. These data prove that crime continues to touch a vast segment of our society and has a disproportionate incidence in our most vulnerable population, our youth.

Surveys of crime victims show that among their most pressing needs are protection and information. Recent years have seen the proliferation of victims' rights legislation across the country. Today, every state has laws on the books to protect the rights of victims. Though most state laws contain basic provisions for victims to be treated with dignity and compassion, to be informed of the status of their cases, to be notified of hearings and trial dates, to be heard at sentencing and parole through victim impact statements, and to receive restitution from convicted offenders, it is clear that the rights of victims vary significantly among states and the federal government. Moreover, those laws are not enough to ensure safety, nor are they guarantors of fair and sensitive treatment by the criminal justice system. Many victims report that, even in states with strong legal protection, they are still being denied their rights. And while 32 states have elevated victims' rights to the constitutional level, many lack a mechanism to enforce compliance with their provisions.

An echoing concern of victim advocates is that victims' rights are not enforced because they have not been integrated into training programs and incorporated into the daily functioning of justice systems. The laws passed will remain hollow promises unless local governments, communities, and the criminal justice system coordinate their efforts to found them in fundamental processes and basic resources. Another criticism is that the justice system does not take into account the specialized needs of underserved victims, such as the disabled, children, the elderly, and non-English speaking populations. Crime touches all areas of our society, so criminal justice and allied professionals must be prepared to accommodate diversity.

In 1998 OVC published New Directions from the Field: Victims' Rights and Services for the 21st Century. Written by and for the field with support from OVC, this report is the culmination of three years of analysis of the status and future of victim services. While New Directions identifies the enactment and enforcement of consistent, fundamental rights as among the most important challenges for victim services, it places primary responsibility for effective victim assistance in the hands of community members who come into daily contact with victims. This includes not only victim advocates and criminal justice professionals, but also those who work in the fields of health, mental health, education, law, business, and the media.

OJP's victims assistance funding priorities will be largely guided by the recommendations put forth by the field in New Directions, as well as the complementary domestic violence and other initiatives supported by the Violence Against Women Office. OJP will support and expand community-based initiatives and will ground its design of new programs in the needs of the neighborhoods to which victims belong. Training will emphasize capacity building. Demonstration projects will defer to local decision-making. Research and evaluation will target successes in and obstacles to neighborhood problem-solving. OJP will endeavor to make resources available that empower communities to integrate information about victims' rights and services into every phase of the criminal justice system, stimulate awareness and understanding of crime victims' issues, and increase the skills of professionals who interact with victims.

This chapter highlights the research, demonstration, and training and technical assistance programs that focus on crime victims' issues, as well as collaboration that leads to systemic change and comprehensive services. Programs that focus specifically on victims of family violence are described in Chapter 4.

Continuation Programs

The following programs will be conducted by current or already designated grantees. No new applications will be solicited in FY 1999.

Parent Support Network
Grantee: Public Administration Service
FY99 Funding: $125,000
OJP Sponsor: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)

Project Description: In May 1998, OJJDP awarded a grant to Public Administration Service to develop and maintain a network of trained parent volunteers to be matched with, and provide support and assistance to, parents who are victims. A case management system is being developed to document referrals and assistance activity. Parent volunteers will be recruited, screened, and trained to provide assistance, support, and guidance to other victim parents.

Trauma Reduction Initiative (earmark)
Grantee: Cooper Hospital/University Medical Center
FY99 Funding: To Be Determined
OJP Sponsor: Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)

Project Description: Through this project, hospital chaplain trainees, recruited from participating neighborhood parishes, will receive special training and provide crisis intervention and support services to victims of violence and their families.

New Programs

Funding for the following programs will be available as noted. For information about individual program solicitations or application kits, check OJP's Website at www.ojp.usdoj.gov or call the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) at 1-800/851-3420 to be added to the mailing list.

Safe, Permanent Housing for Victims and Witnesses
Grantee: National Center for Victims of Crime
FY99 Funding: $403,899
OJP Sponsor: BJA

Project Description: This partnership between the National Victim Center, the Enterprise Foundation, and prosecutors offices in Brooklyn, New York and Portland, Oregon will apply different but complementary perspectives to the problem of intimidated witnesses. The Victim Center will provide counseling to these victims and witnesses. The community development corporations supported through the Foundation and local public housing authorities will work to locate affordable housing, and prosecutors will provide referrals, temporary rent, and other subsidies, and will work with the local police to enhance security for these clients.

Training, Technical Assistance, and Capacity-Building Programs

The following describes both current and new initiatives.

The Deputy Attorney General's Children Exposed to Violence Initiative
Grantee: To Be Determined
FY99 Funding: To Be Determined
OJP Sponsor: Office for Victims of Crime (OVC)

Project Description: In support of the Children Exposed to Violence Initiative, managed by the Deputy Attorney General of the Department of Justice, this activity will support an initiative to improve the response of the criminal justice system to children who are victims or witnesses of violence. The initiative will focus on law enforcement and legislative reform, highlight innovative programs, and seek to heighten public awareness. This initiative will be closely coordinated with other OJP efforts, such as OJJDP's new Safe Start program, Children's Advocacy Centers, and the Safe Kids/Safe Streets program.

Crisis Response Initiative
Grantee: Competitive
FY99 Funding: $200,000
OJP Sponsor: OVC

Project Description: OVC will support a multi-year crisis response initiative that works with OSLDPS and other federal agencies, through a variety of activities, to build state capacity to respond to the needs of victims of terrorism and other mass casualty crimes. The project will include a series of focus groups to discuss obstacles and solutions to creating crisis response capabilities, regional training on developing coordinated crisis response programs, and ongoing technical assistance.

State Victim Assistance Academy
Grantee: Competitive
FY99 Funding: $140,000
OJP Sponsor: OVC

Project Description: The goal of this multi-year grant solicitation is to support four state efforts at $35,000 each to provide academic-based, foundation-level education for victim assistance providers, victim advocates, criminal justice personnel, and allied professionals. Eligible applicants will be asked to demonstrate a partnership between a private, nonprofit agency involved with helping and/or advocating for victims, and a college or university that is invested in advancing the skills level of those who will be or are involved in this field. Year one funding is a planning grant, year two supports curriculum design, course presentation, and evaluation, and year three supports presentation of a second academy. States are required to match 25 percent of each year's federal grant. In addition to funding, OVC will ensure that technical assistance is made available to states to assist in this multi-year effort.

New Directions for the Judiciary and the Courts
Grantee: To Be Determined
FY99 Funding: To Be Determined
OJP Sponsor: OVC

Project Description: This project will support the development of practical, informational materials on victims' issues for judges and court administrators in state and local courts. The project also will disseminate these products and provide technical assistance through established networks of state courts.

Victim-Oriented Practices in the Healthcare Community
Grantee: Competitive
FY99 Funding: $75,000
OJP Sponsor: OVC

Project Description: Victims of interpersonal violence suffer psychological trauma and, all too frequently, long-term health consequences as a result of their victimization. The provision of sensitive, effective care in a broad array of clinical settings is a critically important response to victims in the aftermath of crime. Yet many victims, especially those with disabilities or from low-income or minority populations, do not receive needed services to help them begin and continue the process of physical and psychological healing.

The goal of this project is to promote the development and replication of practices that promote inclusive, effective responses to crime victims in the health care setting. In support of this goal, OVC will fund a project to develop resource materials for health care professionals consisting of: (1) a report that outlines the deterrents to identifying and caring for underserved crime victims in the health care arena and innovative practices and strategies that healthcare organizations and professionals have developed to respond to these underserved victims; and (2) a companion videotape that illustrates some of the exemplary efforts in the health care community to serve these victims. A dissemination plan should extend beyond information sharing and target organizations and institutions that act as change agents within the health care community. The project should also include an evaluation component that measures the effectiveness of these materials in heightening the understanding and awareness of crime victims' needs and issues among health care professionals.

Action Partnerships with Professional and Membership Organizations
Grantee: Competitive
FY99 Funding: $300,000 (up to $75,000 per grant, with $150,000 designated for mental health related projects and $150,000 for health care-related projects)
OJP Sponsor: OVC

Project Description: In the past three fiscal years, OVC has funded a series of collaborative, innovative projects with national professional and membership organizations to develop or improve the capacity of their members to respond effectively and empathically to the needs of crime victims through activities that provide information and training to their members on crime victims' rights and needs. During FY 1999, OVC will target professional and membership organizations representing health care, health care administration, managed care, public health, and mental health professionals who direct or provide life-line services to crime victims. This may include tracks of training at national conferences, videotapes, newsletters, training curricula for professional or continuing education, and policy and protocol manuals. Grantees must demonstrate a strong commitment to serving crime victims and convincingly document a substantial capacity to develop products with professional credibility that can be readily integrated into the professional or continuing education requirements of the targeted mental health and health care professionals.

OVC Victims' Rights Series
Grantee: National Victim Center
FY99 Funding: $75,000
OJP Sponsor: OVC

Project Description: The National Victim Center will develop a series of OVC bulletins on various victims' rights issues, including notification, allocation, protection, and restitution. The bulletins will describe the issues as they have been defined in state and federal legislation, examine what states are doing to ensure compliance with victims' rights, and describe the promising practices being employed to address them. The bulletins will also include an analysis of case law on each of the rights discussed.

Providing Culturally Sensitive and Appropriate Information to Victims of Sexual Assault from Diverse Communities
Grantee: Victim Rights Advocacy
FY99 Funding: To Be Determined
OJP Sponsor: Violence Against Women Office (VAWO)

Project Description: Victim Rights Advocacy will translate materials for sexual assault survivors and provide them to grantees, expanding resources for victims from diverse communities. For example, information booklets may be reprinted in Braille and large print. Victim Rights Advocacy will collaborate with sexual assault coalitions in project development and distribution of materials and products.

National Crime Victims' Rights Week Kit
Grantee: Competitive
Funding: $100,000
OJP Sponsor: OVC

Project Description: Each April since 1982, National Crime Victims' Rights Week (NCVRW) has been formally commemorated at the federal level. The federal observance coincides with rallies, vigils, and public education campaigns staged in communities around the nation and provides an opportunity to articulate a consistent and unified message about the plight of our nation's crime victims and to draw attention to the work of victim advocates and activists across the country. This project will produce a user-friendly kit containing ready-made, adaptable resources, such as posters, model speeches, press releases, public service announcements, and other outreach materials, for victim service providers, advocates, elected leaders, and the general public to enhance the NCVRW observance in the year 2000.

National Council of State Governments Regional Conference
Grantee: Council of State Governments
FY99 Funding: $40,000
OJP Sponsor: OVC and the National Institute of Justice (NIJ)

Project Description: This project will support a victims' rights conference for policy makers, victims, victim advocates, and legislators in the 10 states that make up the Eastern Regional Conference. The conference will identify emerging issues, promising practices, and statutory and policy issues affecting the criminal justice system and discuss the availability and delivery of victims' rights and services.

Homicide Support Project
Grantee: Virginia Mason Medical Center
FY99 Funding: $75,000
OJP Sponsor: OVC

Project Description: The Virginia Mason Medical Center was awarded funding in FY 1998 to train multidisciplinary personnel from three cities--San Diego, California; New Haven, Connecticut; and New York, New York--in providing community-based assistance to the families of homicide victims. During the first year of the grant, project staff developed a training manual on using Trauma and Separation Therapy (TST), an intervention model that deals with issues that arise from loss of relationship, as well as those that come about due to the unnatural manner of dying. This award will expand training to three additional sites. Project staff will also author a bulletin describing the TST approach.

Traumatic Grief: The Synergism Between Trauma and Grief
Grantee: Anti-Violence Partnership of Philadelphia
FY99 Funding: $100,000
OJP Sponsor: OVC

Project Description: The Anti-Violence Partnership of Philadelphia received OVC funds in FY 1997 to develop a training model based on a new construct of "traumatic grief." The project included the development of an assessment tool to measure the experience of traumatic grief and a 3-day multidisciplinary training curriculum for victim advocates, criminal justice practitioners, and allied professionals. The curriculum has been pilot-tested and is being used in six 3-day regional workshops. In FY 1999, the grantee will develop a train-the-trainer curriculum and conduct regional seminars.

Victims of Mentally Ill Offenders
Grantee: Ehrenkranz School of Social Work, New York University
FY99 Funding: $100,000
OJP Sponsor: OVC

Project Description: Victims attacked by mentally ill offenders, or those whose offenders are found not guilty by reason of insanity, may not receive the services that are due crime victims in general. Recent research indicates that many victims of violence perpetrated by the mentally ill are family members or intimates of the mentally ill offender. Many of these victims are especially vulnerable, including elderly parents or children of mentally ill offenders, but they may not come to the attention of the mental health, protection and advocacy, victim assistance, and criminal justice systems. In FY 1998, project staff conducted a national-scope search for promising practices, analyzed the collected material, developed an assessment report, and held focus groups composed of victims, law enforcement personnel, mental health professionals, and victim service providers to identify barriers, recommend needed changes, create an action plan, and develop guidelines for assisting these underserved victims. The grantee has synthesized the information to produce a report on major issues, barriers to service, promising practices, and recommended guidelines. A second phase will yield a training video and other materials on model practices and processes for victim assistance, law enforcement, and mental health providers who work with victims of mentally ill offenders.

Victim Service Response to Victims of Gang Violence
Grantee: Victim Services Inc.
FY99 Funding: $100,000
OJP Sponsor: OVC

Project Description: Many communities--large and small, urban and rural--are struggling to meet the needs of victims of gang violence. In 1996, OVC awarded a grant to Victim Services Inc. in New York to survey promising practices in responding to victims of gang violence and develop technical assistance materials to help victim service providers better serve these victims. In 1998, OVC expanded that effort by joining with Victim Services to establish a regional network of host sites that are successfully mobilizing resources to address the needs of victims of gang violence. Products under development include a nationwide survey to assess the level and nature of services to gang victims, a model program outline, a training curriculum to facilitate dissemination of the model, discipline-specific modifications to the curriculum, a trainer package, a National Gang Victim Service Directory, and a Gang Victim Assistance Monograph that features profiles of a select group of programs throughout the country. During the second phase of this project, Victim Services will provide training at four locations and the train-the-trainer program in two locations. Several training sessions will be held at gang sites identified by OJJDP. Additionally, Victim Services will continue to work with host sites to identify a process for continuing the network and provide ongoing training and technical support to communities seeking to replicate successful strategies for protecting and serving victims of gang violence.

Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) Development and Operation Guide
Grantee: Sexual Assault Resource Service, Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation
FY99 Funding: $50,000
OJP Sponsor: OVC

Project Description: To address the trauma to rape victims of long waits for doctors who are busy attending to other medical emergencies, a lack of privacy, and a lack of emotional support through the forensic examination process, some jurisdictions have developed Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) programs, in which nurses who are specially trained to address the medical and emotional needs of sexual assault victims perform the examinations in victim sensitive settings. In 1996, the Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation was competitively funded to develop a SANE Development and Operation Guidebook and to provide training and technical assistance to foster the replication and ongoing administration of SANE programs throughout the country. The guidebook has been completed and is being disseminated through a series of nine regional training workshops. A SANE Website [OVC-provide Web address] has been launched to disseminate information and technical assistance. In its final phase, this project will further refine the training through additional regional workshops and continue maintenance and development of the SANE Website.

Closed-Circuit Televising of Testimony of Children Who Are Victims of Abuse Grant Program
Grantee: Competitive
FY99 Funding: $1 million
OJP Sponsor: Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)

Eligibility: States and units of local government

Project Description: The Closed-Circuit Televising of Testimony of Children Who Are Victims of Abuse Grant Program was established to allow eligible states and local units of government to obtain equipment and personnel training for closed-circuit televising and videotaping of the testimony of children in criminal child abuse proceedings. The goals of this program are to demonstrate the effective and practical use of television and videotaping technology in obtaining testimony from child witnesses for use in criminal proceedings; identify prototype programs; encourage the replication of effective programs using television and videotaping technologies in other jurisdictions; develop and provide training and technical assistance to facilitate the success and replication of programs; and assess the effectiveness of funded programs. This program may be extended to additional sites in FY 1999.

National Victim Assistance Academy
Grantee: Victims' Assistance Legal Organization (VALOR)
FY99 Funding: $420,000
OJP Sponsor: OVC

Project Description: In 1995, OVC initiated the National Victim Assistance Academy, the first course of its kind to train a diverse group of victim practitioners and policy makers from around the country and offer academic credit via a compressed video link with a state university. For the past three years, OVC has provided funding for a 5-day national victim assistance course that linked multiple university sites for approximately 20 hours of the 45-hour course. In 1999, OVC will once again fund a consortium of national victim assistance organizations and universities, which includes VALOR, the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center of the Medical University of South Carolina, and California State University-Fresno. The 45-hour updated course will originate from a university campus site in Washington, D.C. and will be simultaneously broadcast to four additional campuses in the Southeast, Midwest, Central, and Western United States, expanding the training and educational experience to approximately 400 victim service providers from the federal, state, tribal, and local levels. As a part of the grant, the project faculty will work with states and universities that wish to adapt the curriculum for state training programs. OVC will also fund the grantee to expand and enhance the curriculum and teaching guide, revise the train-the-trainer guidebook, and revise a training videotape to be used in conjunction with the existing Academy training curriculum.

Jimmy Ryce Law Enforcement Training Center
Grantee: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
FY99 funding: $1.185 million
OJP Sponsor: OJJDP

Project Description: See Chapter 13.

Missing Children's Training and Technical Assistance Program
Grantee: Fox Valley Technical College
FY99 funding: $1.25 million
OJP Sponsor: OJJDP

Project Description: See Chapter 13.

National Fire Service Survivors' Support Program
Grantee: National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
FY99 Funding: To Be Determined
OJP Sponsor: BJA

Project Description: The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation honors fallen firefighters and provides support for their families and fellow firefighters. This project provides programs and services that support the overall mission of the Foundation through year-round support, information, and referrals to service providers. In addition to working with families, the project will work with local fire service administrators to enhance their ability to respond to line-of-duty deaths with counseling and services. The project will also develop and disseminate publications for survivors.

Concerns of Police Survivors, Inc.
Grantee: National Outreach Programs for Care of Law Enforcement Surviving Families
FY99 Funding: To Be Determined
OJP Sponsor: BJA

Project Description: This grantee will continue to provide services, support, and assistance to families and coworkers of fallen law enforcement officers during the annual National Police Week program, which is held each May in Washington, D.C. In addition, the grantee will attend national law enforcement conferences to provide information, resources, and support for the members of the law enforcement community; sponsor six regional training sessions on the trauma of law enforcement death; and expand the program's multimedia outreach to police agencies, survivors, and coworkers through newsletters, publications, posters, and the Internet.

Elder Financial Exploitation Prevention Program
Grantee: Oregon Senior and Disabled Services Division
FY99 Funding: $97,000
OJP Sponsors: OVC

Project Description: This project is comprised of two principal phases. One phase provides training and information for bank personnel so that they can quickly spot fraud, address the issue, and alert law enforcement officers. The Oregon Bankers Association, the Senior and Disabled Services Division, the U.S. Attorney, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, American Association of Retired Persons, and law enforcement have joined together to train bank personnel in how to recognize signs of elder financial exploitation and to report suspected abuse. The second phase is designed to create services for elderly fraud victims. A reverse "boiler room" will be used to alert seniors on a "mooch" list and then train volunteers to either call or visit the people listed. In FY 1999, the grantee will expand the program to respond to the many requests from other states asking for training on the techniques Oregon has designed. A video training tape for banking personnel also will be produced.

A Telemarketing Fraud Project for Latino Elderly
Grantee: National Hispanic Council on Aging
FY99 Funding: $97,000
OJP Sponsors: OVC

Project Description: This project is designed to increase Latino elderly's awareness of telemarketing fraud through education and the coordination of prevention and intervention services. Two groups have been selected from geographical areas with large Latino populations and high numbers of immigrants with socio-economic characteristics that place them at high risk for telemarketing fraud. The grantee has trained group leaders to conduct study groups comprised of potential fraud victims; completed a survey identifying appropriate materials for the study groups; and is translating English language materials to Spanish. In FY 1999, the grantee will expand the geographical areas to include more Cuban and Puerto Rican populations and complete new study materials in Spanish.

Operation Fraudstop: A Partnership to Reduce Telemarketing Fraud and Assist Victims
Grantee: National Sheriffs' Association (NSA)
FY99 Funding: $97,000
OJP Sponsor: OVC

Project Description: Operation Fraudstop is coordinating its efforts with state attorneys general, the American Association of Retired Persons, Triad programs, and local law enforcement in four states. Washington and Montana have been targeted for special efforts by AARP to reduce telemarketing fraud. NSA joined that effort to increase the possibility of reaching more seniors who may be the target of telemarketers. Virginia and Maryland were selected to participate because both have strong Triad programs and their state attorneys general are committed to reducing telemarketing fraud in their states. In FY 1999, the grantee will continue the basic program and will increase the number of training sessions in all four states. NSA and the Oregon project also are coordinating their efforts to respond to requests from other states for training sessions and materials.

Preventing Fraud by Immigration Assistance Practitioners
Grantee: National Crime Prevention Council
FY99 Funding: To Be Determined
OJP Sponsor: BJA

Project Description: The National Crime Prevention Council will develop and implement a public service campaign to educate non-U.S. citizens and those who work closely with them about preventing fraud by immigration assistance practitioners. Broadcast and print public service announcements and collateral materials will help consumers in up to 5 cities recognize potential fraud by immigration practitioners, encourage them to report such fraud, and direct them to a source for help.

Research and Statistical Programs

The following describes both current and new initiatives.

National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)
Grantee: Interagency Agreement with the Bureau of the Census
FY99 Funding: To Be Determined
OJP Sponsor: Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS)

Project Description: During a collection year, data are obtained in 6-month intervals from nationally representative samples of roughly 50,000 households, comprising more than 100,000 persons, on the impact, frequency, and consequences of criminal victimization in the United States. The survey enables BJS to estimate the likelihood of victimization by rape, robbery, assault, larceny, household larceny, household burglary, or motor vehicle theft for segments of the population, such as the elderly and city dwellers. NCVS is the only national forum for victims to describe consequences of crime and the characteristics of violent offenders.

City-Level Victimization and Citizen Attitude Surveys
Grantee: Interagency Agreement with the U.S. Bureau of the Census
FY99 Funding: To Be Determined
OJP Sponsor: BJS

Project Description: Working in partnership with the Community Oriented Policing Services Office (COPS), BJS conducted city-level victimization surveys in 12 cities providing a unique city-based dataset to examine attitudes toward community policing activities, perceptions of crime, police-public contact and characteristics of victimizations by crime. The participating 12 cities include: Chicago, Illinois; Knoxville, Tennessee; Kansas City, Missouri; Los Angeles and San Diego, California; Madison, Wisconsin; New York City; Savannah, Georgia; Spokane, Washington; Springfield, Massachusetts; Tucson, Arizona; and Washington, D.C. The data provide a better understanding of the impact of different community policing strategies. COPS provided funds for data collection in 10 cities. NIJ sponsored the city survey in Washington, D.C., as part of its research support to the DC Revitalization Initiative. BJS anticipates that findings will be released in early 1999.

School Crime Data
Grantee: Interagency Agreement with the U.S. Bureau of the Census
FY99 Funding: To Be Determined
OJP Sponsor: BJS

Project Description: With funding from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), BJS will conduct the 1999 School Crime Supplement (SCS) to the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). The SCS will collect data on aspects of school crime from household members age 12 to 18 who attend school, representing an estimated 22 million students. Information will be obtained on victimizations, availability of drugs at school, existence of street gangs, prevalence of gang fights, presence of guns at school, and fear of being attacked or harmed.

In addition, BJS and the NCES anticipate producing Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 1999, the second of an annual series of reports, which will update the first Indicators report that presented data on crime at school from the perspectives of students, teachers, principals, and the general population using a comprehensive array of sources--the National Crime Victimization Survey, Monitoring the Future, the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, the National Household Education Survey, and the School and Staffing Survey. The report will examine crime occurring in school, as well as on the way to and from school.

NISMART II
Grantee: Institute for Survey Research, Temple University; Family Research Laboratory, University of New Hampshire; and Westat, Inc.
FY99 Funding: $250,000
OJP Sponsor: OJJDP

Project Description: The National Incidence Survey of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Thrownaway (NISMART) children provides reliable national statistics on the number and types of missing children in this country. The study originally examined missing children in five separate categories: runaways, thrownaways, nonfamily abductions, family abductions, and other missing children. Researchers have expanded the number of missing children categories to eight to distinguish between custodial interference and more serious family abductions, combine runaway and thrownaway children into one category, distinguish between general missing episodes that result from children being lost from those in which the child is injured, identify the number of children who are sexually assaulted, and account for children who are missing as a result of simple miscommunication where they were not in any danger. During FY 1999, the project will continue to analyze data according to these revised categories and prepare a report of the preliminary results.

Impact of Victims' Rights Legislation on the Criminal Justice System
Grantee: Vera Institute of Justice
FY99 Funding: $97,850
OJP Sponsor: BJA

Project Description: The Vera Institute of Justice will conduct a study to assess the impact of victims' rights legislation on the criminal justice system, including prosecutors, attorneys for indigent defendants, courts, and corrections. During Phase I of the project, Vera staff will identify jurisdictions and criminal justice officials to be surveyed, construct a research design and methodology for the project, and create a typology of victims' rights legislation in every state. In Phase II, they will collect and analyze data for the project and then produce a final report detailing the findings of the study.

Pilot Study of Victim Needs and Assistance Sought
Grantee: Victim Services Inc.
FY99 Funding: $379,193 (An additional $870,807 is committed for the national survey under another contract.)
OJP Sponsors: NIJ and OVC

Project Description: Through a subcontract with VERA Institute and WESTAT, Victim Services will conduct a pilot study to generate a recommended methodological approach to identifying crime victims, investigating the consequences of crime to victims, enumerating victim needs and sources of assistance, and characterizing services needed, sought, and received. The study will include victims regardless of whether they reported the crime to law enforcement or have accessed the criminal justice or human services systems. The study's goal is to determine who does and does not access crime victims services and to explore means of reaching subpopulations, such as immigrants or rural victims, whose needs may differ from larger populations. The pilot study will include a field test using the recommended methodology and will provide a detailed design for a national study that will be completed and funded separately.

Evaluation of State Victim Compensation and Assistance Programs
Grantee: The Urban Institute
FY99 Funding: $750,000
OJP Sponsors: NIJ and OVC

Project Description: The Urban Institute will conduct a multi-year evaluation to assess the effectiveness of the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) compensation and assistance programs. "Effectiveness" is understood in the context of meeting the needs of crime victims. The goal of the study is to analyze whether VOCA funded programs deliver a coordinated, comprehensive set of services that reduce the financial, physical, psychological, and emotional consequences of criminal victimization. The study will examine the range of victims served, services provided, service quality, and practices that affect coverage and service delivery efficiency. It is expected that the study will identify promising practices, as well as gaps and weaknesses in service delivery and administration. VOCA administrators will be surveyed, subgrantee site visits will be conducted, and clients will be interviewed individually and in focus groups. The multi-level nested design is expected to allow for examination of the effects of state policies on local service delivery and the impact of VOCA administration and coordination activities on crime victims.

Joint Federal Performance Report
Grantee: OVC Training and Technical Assistance Center
Funding: $100,000
OJP Sponsors: OVC and VAWO (with support from HHS and CDC)

Project Description: Each of the four federal agencies that awards victim service grants to states--OVC, VAWO, CDC, and the Administration on Children and Families (ACF)--has its own separate annual performance reporting requirements. The purpose of this project is to produce a joint federal performance reporting instrument that would develop common data sets and definitions, and consolidate the now separate reporting mechanisms. The goal is to ease the burden on direct service providers and increase the accuracy of federal performance data on the number of crime victims served and activities funded through federal grant programs.

State of Mental Health Services to Victims
Grantee: To Be Determined
FY99 Funding: $82,000
OJP Sponsors: OVC and NIJ

Project Description: Many Americans suffer from crime-related mental health problems, and it is critical that every crime victim have access to effective mental health services at every stage in the criminal justice process. OVC and NIJ will join in an effort to better understand the mental health consequences of victimization and the treatment of crime-related psychological disorders, and to assess and improve the delivery of mental health services to victims. In FY 1999, this effort will include a working conference of researchers, administrators, and practitioners to examine the state of knowledge on these subjects, to prepare a series of bulletins distilling current understanding for policy makers and practitioners, to identify gaps disclosed by research and evaluation, and to suggest strategies for filling these gaps.

Victims' Services Professional Development

Grantee: To Be Determined

FY99 Funding: $150,000

OJP Sponsor: OVC

Project Description: To keep pace with the forward progression of the victims' movement, OVC has supported a variety of initiatives to increase understanding of crime victims' needs and the diverse individuals and organizations who serve these victims. OVC has convened several focus groups that discussed the development of victim service standards of practice for both organizations and individual practitioners and certification. In FY 1999, OVC will continue to support this effort by funding a cooperative agreement to convene a broad consortium of national and state leaders from the victim services field to develop a compendium of existing standards, education programs, strategies for establishing individual and organizational practice standards to enhance the quality of services to crime victims, and a practical Strategies for Action Kit that will help the field implement preferred standards.

Federal Crime Victim Initiatives

The following programs will be administered by OVC and will support efforts at the federal level to meet the needs of crime victims.

Demonstration Programs:

Fraud Demonstration Program
Grantee: Interagency Agreement with the Executive Office for United States Attorneys (EOUSA)
FY99 Funding: $125,000
OJP Sponsor: OVC

Project Description: This second-year funding will continue a program in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California that created a white-collar crime victim advocate position and provided support staff to identify and recover victims' assets that involve complex financial transactions for victims.

Victim Service Demonstration Projects (2)
Grantees: Interagency Agreement with EOUSA
FY99 Funding: $240,000
OJP Sponsor: OVC

Project Description: This project continues funding for two US Attorneys' offices selected competitively based upon each district's commitment to victim-witness issues, size, and caseload diversity. The districts selected represent a small district with a caseload from a military base, national park, and prison (Southern District of Indiana), and a district with a large Indian Country caseload (District of South Dakota). These districts will also assist other districts in replicating promising practices for victims of federal crime.

EOUSA Federal Crime Victim Assistance Fund
Grantee: Interagency Agreement with EOUSA
FY99 Funding: $75,000
OJP Sponsor: OVC

Project Description: This funding provides financial assistance to victims of federal crime when no other resources are available. Funds are made available to U.S. Attorneys' Offices through an interagency agreement with EOUSA.

Victim Assistant Positions
Grantee: Interagency Agreement with EOUSA
FY99 Funding: $290,000
OJP Sponsor: OVC

Project Description: This funding will support third-year funding for an Office of Legal Education attorney instructor to draft litigation series chapters and course material and present classroom instruction to federal prosecutors on federal victims' rights legislation, case law and policy, and prosecutors' duties and responsibilities to federal crime victims. The grant also will provide second-year funding for an EOUSA attorney to assist with training and technical assistance to U.S. Attorneys' offices and continue funding for a position that provides training and technical assistance to 6 to 8 U.S. Attorneys' offices to help implement demonstration victim assistance programs.

Victim-Witness Coordinator
Grantee: Interagency Agreement with EOUSA
FY99 Funding: $50,000
OJP Sponsor: OVC

Project Description: OVC will continue funding to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Montana to hire a victim-witness coordinator position as part of the Attorney General's Tribal Justice Initiative. This interagency initiative, which funds comprehensive services for two Indian tribes, is a collaborative effort among the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, the Department of the Interior, and various DOJ components, including the Criminal Division, the Office of Tribal Justice, the Office of Policy Development, OVC, and other OJP bureaus.

Pilot FBI/EOUSA Victim Witness Office
Grantees: Interagency Agreement with the FBI and EOUSA
FY99 Funding: $150,000
OJP Sponsor: OVC

Project Description: This funding continues establishment of a consolidated victim assistance office in Omaha, Nebraska. The goal is to create a comprehensive, multidisciplinary victim service center for victims of federal crime and eliminate the need for separate victim-witness coordinators in FBI field offices and in U.S. Attorneys' offices.

FBI Demonstration Victim Assistance Programs
Grantee: Interagency Agreement with the FBI
FY99 Funding: $350,000
OJP Sponsor: OVC

Project Description: This project is establishing three demonstration victim assistance programs to improve the capability of the New York, Washington, and Tucson FBI field offices to respond to the rights and physical, emotional, and financial needs of all federal crime victims, including those victimized abroad. Activities will be coordinated with the U.S. Attorney's Office, the State Department, the Department of Defense (DOD), Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), and other federal agencies involved with federal crime victims.

Trafficked Victim Demonstration Project
Grantee: Interagency Agreement with INS
FY99 Funding: $150,000
OJP Sponsor: OVC

Project Description: INS will develop a demonstration program for federal assistance to victims of international trafficking for sexual purposes. The project will utilize a network of service providers in U.S. Attorney's Offices that would provide culturally appropriate and language specific services, such as medical, mental health, and emergency shelter.

Drug Enforcement Administration Victim Assistance
Grantee: Interagency Agreement with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
FY99 Funding: $50,000
OJP Sponsor: OVC

Project Description: This project provides $25,000 to enable DEA victim-witness coordinators to attend the National Symposium on Victims of Federal Crime and $25,000 to establish a DEA Federal Crime Victim Assistance Fund to assist victims in DEA drug trafficking cases.

Victim-Witness Programs (3)
Grantees: Interagency Agreement with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), U.S. Secret Service, and U.S. Customs Service
FY99 Funding: $221,250
OJP Sponsor: OVC

Project Description: This project provides second-year funding for an effort to establish comprehensive victim-witness programs in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the U.S. Secret Service, and the U.S. Customs Service.

Department of State Federal Crime Victim Assistance Fund
Grantee: Interagency Agreement with the U.S. Department of State
FY99 Funding: $50,000
OJP Sponsor: OVC

An emergency victim assistance fund will be established in the Bureau of Consular Affairs.

Training, Technical Assistance, and Capacity-Building Programs:

District Specific Training
Grantee: Interagency Agreement with EOUSA
FY99 Funding: $215,000
OJP Sponsor: OVC

Project Description: This funding will support 6 to 8 federal district-specific training conferences and seminars involving federal victims' rights issues, including American Indian issues and compliance with the Attorney General Guidelines for Victim and Witness Assistance.

Travel to Training
Grantees: Interagency Agreement with EOUSA, FBI, INS, and DOD
FY99 Funding: $698,155
OJP Sponsor: OVC

Project Description: OVC will provide travel costs to allow federal prosecutors and victim-witness coordinators from the grantee agencies to attend the second Symposium on Victims of Federal Crime and other major victim conferences.

Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC)
Grantee: Interagency Agreement with FLETC
FY99 Funding: $200,000
OJP Sponsor: OVC

Project Description: This funding will continue to fulfill OVC's responsibility to train federal law enforcement officers in the delivery of services to victims of crime. FLETC trains officers from over 70 agencies in basic and advanced classes. This agreement will fund 1½ positions, agency-specific training sessions, and onsite training and technical assistance to other federal agencies.

Federal Bureau of Prisons
Grantee: Interagency Agreement with the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP)
FY99 Funding: $50,000
OJP Sponsor: OVC

Project Description: This funding will enable BOP to expand its newly created program to establish inmate victim impact panels to 5 to 8 additional institutions and to establish a train-the-trainers program to develop a faculty for additional program expansion to the remaining BOP facilities. Information about additional resources is available in Chapter 14.

Department of State Training Video
Grantee: Interagency Agreement with the Department of State
FY99 Funding: $80,000
OJP Sponsor: OVC

Project Description: This project will produce a video to explain the State Department's victim assistance program and employee responsibilities to all State Department employees.

Crime Victims Fund Video
Grantee: To Be Determined
FY99 Funding: $80,000
OJP Sponsor: OVC

Project Description: This project will produce a video to teach federal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and corrections personnel about the Crime Victims Fund and the positive impact that increased deposits will have on victims of crime. This project will be supported through a contract awarded by the Department of Justice Audio-Visual Unit.

For More Information

The following programs are listed in other chapters of the Program Plan: Victim Empowerment through Mediation and Dialogue, Chapter 2; Safe Start Child Development and Community Policing Partnership, Chapter 5; and Building a Home for Crime Victims on the Internet, Chapter 8. OVC's Victim Services 2000 programs are listed in Chapter 2.

Programs to combat violence against women and support its victims are described in Chapter 4. These include VAWO's STOP Violence Against Women Grants, Grants to Encourage Arrest Policies, Domestic Violence Victims' Civil Legal Assistance Grants, and Rural Domestic Violence and Child Victimization Enforcement Grants, as well as other family violence initiatives. Further information also is available online at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/vawo.

Also see Chapter 1 for a description of OVC's Crime Victim Assistance and Victim Compensation grant programs, and Chapter 13 for additional victim-related technical assistance and training. Additional information about OVC programs is available from its Website at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/ or from the OVC Resource Center by calling toll-free at 1-800/627-6872.

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