INTRODUCTION

This year marks the commemoration of two important milestones in the history of the victim service field—the 30th anniversary of the founding of the first three victim assistance programs in the United States and the 20th anniversary of the publication of the Final Report of President Ronald Reagan’s Task Force on Victims of Crime, widely regarded as the blueprint of the victims’ movement. It is notable that both of these seminal events were occasioned by the efforts of grassroots organizers, men and women on the local level who, by direct action or through their own compelling testimony, put crime victims on the national agenda.

Since the establishment of those first three victim assistance programs in 1972, thousands have sprung up in communities across the Nation. Victim compensation programs are now operating in every state. And in addition to the countless laws that have been passed to improve the status of victims, 32 states have amended their constitutions to guarantee certain basic rights for victims. Now, what began as a small but forceful campaign for equal access to justice has become an established discipline run by committed professionals and an ever-expanding corps of dedicated service providers and volunteers.

One need look no further than the terrible events of September 11 to understand the invaluable legacy of this movement to strengthen victim services. Along with the many brave firefighters, law enforcement officers, and rescue workers who responded to the terrorist attacks, hundreds of counselors, chaplains, social workers, and victim service providers strove in the face of overwhelming tragedy to meet the needs of those directly affected. The groundwork for reaching out to victims and their families had long been laid, and it was the strength of this foundation that made the difference in the lives of thousands.

There is no more fitting time than now, in the aftermath of the attacks, for those in the victim service field to return to the principles that have guided us so successfully and to listen again to the voices of victims. It was, after all, those voices that put us on our current path and opened the eyes of the Nation to the plight of crime victims. It is in this spirit of returning to our roots—our grassroots—that we present this Fiscal Year 2002 Discretionary Program Plan. By means of it, we hope to articulate our desire to give communities the tools and resources to help them meet their own needs, to expand and improve services, and to develop the skills of those who serve victims.

The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) Program Plan not only represents a revisitation of the fundamental tenets of our mission, but also reflects OVC’s efforts to respond to three disparate sources. First, and most importantly, the Program Plan is fully informed by input from the field as gathered through meetings with both grassroots and national organizations. Second, it incorporates the recent amendments to the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) contained in the USA PATRIOT Act, which give OVC greater discretionary funding and authority. And third, by addressing the efficacy of crisis response initiatives and the long-term needs of victims, it seeks to expand on lessons learned from the terrorist attacks.

The Program Plan is organized according to five global challenges as they were set forth in OVC’s report, New Directions from the Field: Victims’ Rights and Services for the 21st Century. Published in 1998 and reflecting feedback from the victim service field, New Directions updates the progress made since the 1982 President’s Task Force Final Report. It also outlines strategies for meeting victims’ needs in the future and charts a course for every discipline that comes into contact with victims, from agents of the criminal justice system to healthcare professionals to faith community leaders.

The first of the global challenges is “to enact and enforce consistent, fundamental rights for crime victims in federal, state, juvenile, military, and tribal justice systems, and in administrative proceedings.” The impetus of the victims’ movement is the uncompromising spirit in which advocates have labored to raise the standing of victims in the criminal justice process. Though their efforts have resulted in a tremendous proliferation of victims’ rights laws, the application of those laws is uneven. Even amendments to state constitutions do not always carry in practice the force they reflect on the books. OVC is committed to following through on behalf of victims, seeking to enhance resources and change attitudes and practices. To that end, the Program Plan announces a National Crime Victim Law Institute (NCVLI) which aims to improve victim access to the criminal justice system by creating partnerships with law schools and training new attorneys to provide legal assistance to victims. Also included is a project to improve compliance with victims’ rights laws that will, through technical assistance and mentorship, build on the expertise of states that have instituted compliance enforcement programs.

The second global challenge is “to provide victims with access to comprehensive, quality services regardless of the nature of their victimization.” Because the strength of the victim service field lies in the talent, compassion, ingenuity, and determination of providers on the local level—the men and women who live and work in the communities they serve—OVC devotes its funding resources to supporting their efforts. Rural areas, inner-city neighborhoods, and other underserved populations like the elderly, American Indians, and people with disabilities will find opportunities in the Program Plan, and the faith community will play a pivotal role in expanding service capacity. Two solicitations expressly address crime in urban settings, one that hopes to build and expand service networks and another that seeks the active involvement of the clergy and faith-based organizations in improving community responsiveness to crime victims. The faith community also figures prominently in OVC’s efforts to support law enforcement. A chaplaincy training and support project is intended to bolster the response of law enforcement officials to victims. OVC will also continue to support tribes through its Victim Assistance in Indian Country (VAIC) and Children’s Justice Act (CJA) Partnerships in Indian Country programs.

The third global challenge identified by the field is “to integrate crime victims’ issues into all levels of the Nation’s educational system to ensure that justice and allied professionals and other service providers receive comprehensive training on victims’ issues as part of their academic education and continuing training in the field.” Victims often never see traditional victim service providers. In many cases, a prosecutor, law enforcement officer, clergy member, social worker, medical professional, or mental health provider will be the person to whom a victim will tell her story. Unfortunately, these professionals rarely receive the education and training they need to respond appropriately. Through its academic-based national, state, and tribal victim assistance academies, OVC supports the knowledge and skills development of professionals from a variety of disciplines. The NCVLI provides training and education to law students on the rights of victims and offers opportunities for continued learning through an annual national conference. And a Faith Community Education Initiative will introduce a training curriculum on victimization issues into seminaries. The Program Plan also advertises cross discipline enrichment opportunities, including a conference for multidisciplinary sexual assault response teams, and several discipline-specific initiatives, including training for physicians in responding to elder abuse, a conference for probation and parole officers, and technical assistance for law enforcement officials.

The fourth global challenge is “to support, improve, and replicate promising practices in victims’ rights and services built upon sound research, advanced technology, and multidisciplinary partnerships.” The victims’ field owes its success to the adaptability of its practitioners, who make whole careers out of borrowing from, building on, and improving approaches implemented elsewhere. OVC is in a unique position to facilitate the exchange of information between programs about practices that work and it is in that role that we can perhaps be of the greatest value to the field. Our Program Plan recognizes the tremendous contributions made by organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving and programs like TRIAD and Court Appointed Special Advocates and encourages partnerships with tribes to develop similar practices in Indian Country. A project to help victim service organizations strengthen their capacity to help victims with disabilities will generate models and promising practices for reaching this underserved population. OVC also hopes to create stronger links with law enforcement through its Victim Services in Rural Law Enforcement project, which will support pilot projects in 10 sites across the country.

The fifth global challenge is “to ensure that the voices of crime victims play a central role in the Nation’s response to violence and those victimized by crime.” Perhaps the greatest asset of the victim assistance community is the powerful testimony of victims. The stories told by and about victims have inspired countless pieces of legislation, spurred the creation of innumerable programs, driven public policy, and changed the hearts of offenders. An Oral History Project will capitalize on that very strength, letting victims and victim advocates articulate the philosophy behind their work. The National Public Awareness and Education Campaign project will solicit input from the field on a national strategy to heighten public awareness of victims’ issues and the role of OVC and the Crime Victims Fund (the Fund) specifically.

Reading through our Program Plan, you will notice a strong emphasis on evaluation. At a minimum, all grantees must conduct performance evaluations or performance measurement as part of their regular activities. Performance evaluation compares actual and planned activities both in terms of resource utilization and production. It typically answers the question of whether a program has achieved its objectives, expressed as measurable performance standards. OVC also stresses the importance of program/process evaluation in which the efficiency and effectiveness of ongoing or completed program activities are assessed. A program/process evaluation provides a narrower, deeper examination of program functioning and typically answers questions of why a program worked, unintended benefits or consequences of a program, and how a program might be improved or changed. For almost all OVC programs, either a performance evaluation or program/process evaluation will be required and is indicated under the evaluation subheading as “internal evaluation by grantee.” OVC is also supporting process and, hopefully in the future, impact evaluations of select programs through separate competitive solicitations. These are specifically noted in the Program Plan in the evaluation section of the individual program descriptors as “external and independent evaluation.” Notwithstanding the individual kind of evaluation that will be undertaken, it is important to note that all program descriptions contain a section entitled “Performance Measure(s)” in response to the mandates of the Government Performance Results Act. The fact that victim service providers rely so heavily on the experiences of their peers across the country means that a thorough analysis of those experiences is not only helpful but also critical. We feel that it is incumbent on us to provide the field with the best information about how programs work, information that can only be gathered by a systematic review of their efficacy.

You will also notice that each program advertised considers strategies beyond the current fiscal year. Multiple-year funding initiatives reflect our goal of committing resources to programs that work and helping them to stabilize after development, bearing in mind that future-year funding is always contingent on the level of deposits in the Fund and on the success of grantees in achieving their objectives, including the timely submission of quality products.

The Program Plan is one of many ways we have of supporting efforts to improve services for crime victims. Our Training and Technical Assistance Center (TTAC) allows victim service providers, criminal justice personnel, and allied professionals to tap the experience and knowledge of the most prominent experts in the field and to participate in various enriching opportunities. The training offered is regional, national, and/or site-specific. The OVC Resource Center, our outreach and dissemination arm, serves as a clearinghouse for state-of-the-art material about victimization and criminal justice issues, facilitating the exchange of information among practitioners nationwide. Our formula grant program covers operational expenses for thousands of public and nonprofit victim assistance organizations and supports all state victim compensation programs. OVC’s discretionary authority, as advertised in the Program Plan, complements all of these efforts. As a partner in your work to reach and serve victims, we hope that it reflects the needs of your community and that you will find opportunities in it for meeting those needs.