The NJ Victims of Crime Compensation Office (VCCO) was formally under the New Jersey Department of Treasury and this year was relocated under the Department of Law and Public Safety.  The VCCO continues to provide victim-centered services which resulted in improved access and claims processing time, more claims filed, and more compensation benefits provided to victims.  Victims have direct contact with one person to handle their claim from start to finish.  Maximum amounts were increased for relocation, funeral costs, crime scene clean-up, and mental health services. A user-friendly manual was produced as a guide to filing VCCO claims for service providers assisting victims.  One issue that hinders efforts to file claims and obtain benefits is the timely filing of a police report with law enforcement and the submission of other required documents. Generally, victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, and human trafficking and adults molested as children do not file a report however, seek compensation.

Coordinated Community Response continues to be a focus for New Jersey's efforts to provide victim services that are accessible, relevant and effective. Several major Statewide initiatives involve public/private partnerships with coordination and planning at the State, local and county levels including: the Victim Information Notification Everyday (VINE) Program; the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) /Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) Program; and the establishment of a NJ Crisis Response Team.  Many of the community based nonprofit agencies continue to partner with one another as well as with county and state agencies to ensure crime victims are informed and provided with timely and valuable services.  Additional information for each project is contained in question D below.

The U.S. Attorney?s Office can make referrals and access services for federal victims in their own communities though the County Prosecutor?s Office of Victim-Witness Advocacy in each of the 21 Counties.  The County Offices of Victim-Witness Advocacy will continue to coordinate efforts with the U.S. Attorney?s Office and the Federal Courts victims and their families to observe sentencing on site and via teleconference. The FBI Victim Services Coordinator is currently an active member of the NJ Association of Crime Victims? Rights Advocates. 

The VOCA funded Victim Notification Service Everyday (VINE) Program, a fully automated telephone system provides custody status information for victims 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, was expanded to include 19 of 21 counties.  VINE provides victims with a greater sense of safety and active participation in the criminal justice system. Registered victims are notified automatically when an offender is released, transferred or escaped.  This is a collaborative effort among the Division of Criminal Justice, State Office of Victim-Witness Advocacy, Department of Corrections, County Prosecutors? Offices, county correctional facilities, law enforcement, State Parole Board and the Juvenile Justice Commission.  This past year 27,783 victims registered with the VINE Program and 880,176 telephone notifications to victims were made.





The Statewide Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Sexual Assault Response Team


(SART) program was expanded to victims in all 21 counties.  This partnership among law enforcement, rape care centers, sexual assault nurse examiners and local hospitals is a coordinated community response effort to provide victim-centered medical care, crisis intervention and support to victims.





A Victim Assistance Tracking System (VATS), supported by VOCA funding, was implemented in all 21 counties for standard uniform data collection. This will be used for tracking County Offices of Victim-Witness Advocacy and the Office of Recovery and Victim Assistance statistical information.

1. The Victim Information Notification Everyday (VINE) Program is a software program whereby a registered victim is automatically notified by telephone when the offender's custody status changes (transfer, release, escape).  This statewide program, supported by VOCA funds, has been implemented in the County Correctional Facilities, Department of Corrections and the State Parole Board.  


     A victim of a violent domestic violence assault advised the Program Manager that because of the VINE Program, she if finally able to sleep at night.  The last thing she does before going to bed is to call the VINE hotline number to confirm that her offender is still incarcerated.





2. VOCA funds support the twenty-one (21) county Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) programs.  Funds are used to reimburse the forensic nurses for the sexual assault forensic medical examinations and related costs (supplies, mileage, pagers).  This program provides forensic medical examinations at no cost to sexual assault victims and is available statewide.


     Equally important are the Sexual Assault Response Teams, a victim-centered approach to sexual assault responses.  A team consists of a forensic nurse, rape care advocate and law enforcement officer who respond, at the request of the victim, and provides treatment, counseling and forensic medical services.





3.  From The Heart Reports (October 2008), a monthly newsletter published by the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Union County, Inc.


     A CASA Advocate recently moved to another state, but the two sisters she advocated for during the past two years continue to correspond with her.  The Advocate reported that in a recent email the sisters said school was going well, they are playing sports and hope she can come watch them.  The younger sister ended the email by saying she named the angel on her necklace after the Advocate because "you are my guardian angel and I am truly grateful that God sent you to me".  They signed off with "we miss you soooooooo freakin much".  Although several hundred miles apart, the sisters still miss and appreciate their former Advocate and her efforts to help stabilize their lives.





4.  The legal advocacy program provided this narrative in its quarterly report:


     A victim appeared in Court for a final restraining order against her husband and spoke to an Advocate, stating her husband was abusive and an alcoholic.  She sought the restraining order to have her husband removed from the house until he obtained alcoholism counseling and sobriety.  At the courthouse, the victim was informed that her husband had obtained an attorney.  The Advocate suggested the victim request an adjournment and an opportunity to meet with legal advocacy staff.  


      With the support and guidance of the legal advocacy staff, the victim met with her husband and his attorney and a consent agreement was agreed upon.  Staff accompanied the victim to court when her temporary restraining order was dismissed and the consent agreement placed on the record.  Leaving the court, she expressed her relief and gratitude to the staff for support and assistance.


     Through the efforts of the legal advocacy staff,  the victim also received counseling, participated in an Al-non support group and developed a safety plan for she and her family.

The Governor's Crime Plan was finalized in 2008.  The Plan is based on increased accountability for all state, county and local law enforcement agencies through a collaborative, data-driven, action-oriented, outcome-based process. Three subcommittees are addressing law enforcement operations, prevention/intervention, and re-entry, with a special emphasis on gang activity.    





Gang violence and intimidation of victims and witnesses continues to pose major barriers for victims to access services and cooperate with law enforcement and dramatize the need for relocation services.   The Division of Criminal Justice is coordinating with County Prosecutors? Offices to address these critical issues.





There is a gap in services for homicide survivors and underserved victims of all types of crimes.  Services to homicide survivors and underserved populations were expanded by identifying these services as funding priorities in the Competitive Victim Assistance Grant Program.  Underserved populations, broadly defined by demographic characteristics include racial, ethnic, and cultural minorities, immigrants. and those for whom English is not their first language, people with disabilities, older people, those who are isolated geographically, etc.

Administrative funds were used to support the salaries and administrative expenses for the Program Analysts in the State Office of Victim Witness Advocacy.  Responsibilities included fiscal and programmatic oversight, technical assistance, ongoing review, monitoring, assessment, and reporting for all VOCA Programs.  Funds also supported electronic screen technology for the VINE Program.