Victim Assistance Community:
Victim Assistance

Attorney General Guidelines for Victim and Witness Assistance 2000

The guidelines presented in this document establish procedures to be followed by the federal criminal justice system when responding to the needs of crime victims and witnesses. January 2000; Free, available to federal victim service providers only (NCJ 178249); OVC.
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/publications/infores/agg2000/welcome.html

This bulletin describes the creation of the Denver Victim Services 2000 (VS2000) model service network, a 5-year demonstration project to create a comprehensive, coordinated, seamless service delivery system for victims of crime. Today, representatives from more than 50 Denver-area victim service agencies are participating in the Denver VS2000 project; participants include community and criminal justice-based victim service workers and allied professionals. The bulletin summarizes the efforts and highlights the results of the three-pronged victim services needs assessment conducted by Denver VS2000 in 1997 and 1998 and describes the development of an assessment strategy and the creation of measurement tools. October 2000; Free (NCJ 183397); OVC. www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/publications/bulletins/dv_10_2000_1/welcome.html

This manual provides information about the effect that HIV/AIDS has had on the role of victim assistance professionals. It provides basic information about the disease, its impact on victims of crime, its impact on the workplace, and the possible responses of victim assistance professionals. 1996; Free, limited copies available (NCJ 161415); OVC.

This 10-minute video highlights the achievements of the six winners of the 2000 Crime Victim Service Awards and the winner of a Special Award for Innovations in Service to Victims in Indian Country. The four individuals and three organizations were honored by the U.S. Attorney General at a ceremony on April 19, 2000, for their outstanding day-to-day service on behalf of crime victims. The video includes footage of the award recipients performing their work. October 2000; Free (NCJ 182793); OVC.

This 7.5-minute video features two families who were honored by the U.S. Attorney General at a ceremony on April 19, 2000, for their heroic response to hate crimes. The video highlights the circumstances surrounding the 1998 deaths of Matthew Shepard in Wyoming and James Byrd, Jr., in Texas, pays tribute to their families for their dedication and compassion in the face of extraordinary adversity, and addresses the families’ outreach efforts to combat all hate crimes. October 2000; Free (NCJ 182792); OVC.

This directory lists, by state, the contact names, mailing addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses for the six federal grant programs that provide assistance to crime victims: Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Program (Byrne Program), Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant (PHHSBG), Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA), and Children’s Justice Act (CJA) State and Tribal Grant Programs. May 2000; Free (NCJ 181042); OVC.
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/fund/nrd/

The National Victim Assistance Academy is a university-based, foundation-level course in victim assistance and victimology. This rigorous, 45-hour academic curriculum emphasizes foundations in victimology, victims’ rights and services, and new developments in the field of victim assistance. The comprehensive textbook covers 32 subject areas and serves as the course curriculum. Available through the OVCRC Document Loan Program or the OVCRC Photocopying Service (NCJ 164870); OVC.
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/assist/nvaa99/

The victim assistance movement has grown rapidly into a full-fledged advocacy and service field dedicated to meeting physical, financial, and psychological needs of victims and their families. More than 10,000 programs now provide support and assistance to victims in the aftermath of crime. This bulletin points out that public awareness of the need for victim assistance has increased, victim assistance services have expanded, and communities have begun to effectively respond to the needs of crime victims. August 1998; Free (NCJ 172817); OVC. www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/new/directions/pdftxt/bulletins/bltn7.pdf

This historic report presents a list of recommendations (with commentary) devised by the 1982 President’s Task Force on Victims of Crime to help crime victims receive the financial, medical, and legal help they need. The recommendations are directed toward federal and state governments, criminal justice agencies, and private agencies such as hospitals, schools, and mental health agencies. December 1982; Free, limited copies available (NCJ 087299); OVC.

This 22-minute video highlights victim services programs and practices around the country. It features 10 promising approaches, including crisis response systems, children’s advocacy centers, Triad programs that seek to improve the response to elderly victims of crime, community impact statements, victim impact panels, gang victim services, sexual assault nurse examiner programs, services for deaf and deaf-blind victims, and telemedicine. The video emphasizes the effectiveness of partnerships within communities and encourages replication of the practices highlighted. February 1998; Free (NCJ 167243); OVC.

This report addresses the lessons learned from the Oklahoma City bombing response that provide a foundation for recommendations to improve planning for services to victims of terrorism in the future. It discusses the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, the immediate crisis response, the postcrisis victim assistance response, the criminal pretrial and trial phases, the long-term needs of victims, and the legal issues pertaining to victims of terrorism, among other issues. The report also highlights policy recommendations from local, state, and federal agencies. October 2000; Free (NCJ 183949); OVC.
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/publications/infores/respterrorism/welcome.html

This report summarizes discussions and ideas for collaboration from the first national meeting of representatives from U.S. treatment centers for torture survivors, sponsored by OVC in October 1998. The document provides a definition of politically motivated torture and discusses the extent and intent of torture around the world, the aftereffects of torture on survivors and their families, how torture survivor treatment centers intervene to help victims deal with the physical and psychological aftermath of their victimization and provide training to victim assistance programs to identify immigrants and refugees who have been victims of political torture, and what helps these survivors heal. The report also includes a list of U.S. treatment centers. January 2000; Free (NCJ 178911); OVC.
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/publications/infores/motivatedtorture/torture.pdf

This fact sheet describes the rights of crime victims, ways in which victims of crime can obtain help, and ways they can work for positive change. It also contains a list of resources that can assist victims of crime. May 1999; Free (FS 000176); OVC.
www.ncjrs.gov/txtfiles/fs1766.txt