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New Year's Message for 2007 January 9, 2007 As we begin 2007, we are grateful for our recent accomplishments and we look forward to continued achievements in the service of crime victims. Every OVC initiative is geared toward achieving a goal that can be summed up by this year's National Crime Victims' Rights Week theme, "Victims' Rights: Every Victim. Every Time." Here are just a few of OVC 's recent and ongoing accomplishments: To help grassroots victim service organizations that have not typically been successful in securing funding from traditional sources, we initiated the Helping Outreach Programs to Expand (HOPE) grant program. Since FY 2002, 376 programs received over $1.8 million to support their program development efforts. The HOPE initiative provides funding to community-based, grassroots organizations to support program development activities. In 2007, the HOPE program will continue to foster the development of grassroots service providers to increase public awareness and expand outreach to victims. In October 2004, President Bush signed the Justice for All Act, the most sweeping federal victims' rights law in history. A key component of this law is the Crime Victims' Rights Act (CVRA), which gives victims in the federal system unprecedented access to the process of justice. Although rights under the CVRA apply only to federal court cases, the Act may serve as a model for wider application at the state level. Some recent court decisions include Kenna v. United States District Court (2006; the first test case) and United States v. Wood (2006; victims' schedules and court proceedings). OVC spearheaded the National Crime Victim Law Institute (NCVLI), an educational institution dedicated to promoting a fair and balanced criminal justice system through legal education, legal scholarship, legal information resources, and legal advocacy. NCVLI's attorney staff accomplishes this mission by filing amicus curiae (friend of the court) briefs in cases nationwide advocating for victims' rights, providing technical assistance to attorneys who represent crime victims, and conducting training across the country on victims' rights for attorneys, law students, and victim service providers. In Indian Country, where we face high rates of violent crime, we have an even greater need to develop comprehensive responses. We have increased funding for services to victims and expanded eligibility for this funding to include tribes not under federal jurisdiction. In 2005, OVC funded approximately $8.5 million for projects serving Native American crime victims. In FY 2006, OVC increased discretionary funding to $3.5 million for the Tribal Victim Assistance Program, allowing 30 tribes to develop direct services to victims of violent crime. OVC held 12 Victim Roundtable Discussions for victims and survivors who know firsthand about tragedy and loss. This forum gave them a voice, letting them share their experiences and discuss the many issues they had faced and would continue to face. Two of these roundtables were held in Indian Country, and many represented rural areas across the country. In 2006, OVC released the roundtable video series highlighting key issues expressed by crime victims. The videos cover five key topic areas: financial considerations; notice and case information; criminal justice system professionals; constitutional issues; and the American Indian population and the justice system. We recently announced the availability of the online application for the International Terrorism Victim Expense Reimbursement Program (ITVERP), which is intended to reimburse victims for allowable expenses incurred as a result of acts of terrorism occurring outside the United States. Under OVC 's Antiterrorism and Emergency Assistance Program (AEAP), OVC provided assistance to jurisdictions to support the response to incidents of mass violence on school campuses. During 2006, the foundation-level National Victim Assistance Academy (NVAA) training was developed and, in November, approximately 30 victim services professionals attended the pilot training in Baltimore, Maryland. As we move into 2007, the foundation-level training is being revised in response to the pilot evaluations. The 3-track training will be offered later in the year. The OVC Training and Technical Assistance Center (OVCTTAC) awarded 198 professional development scholarships, supported 4 state conferences with crime victim/survivor scholarships (totaling 330 individual scholarships), and supported 7 state conferences, 3 national conferences, and 76 training and technical assistance requests from the field. The OVC Resource Center (OVCRC) exhibited or provided resource materials at 193 events nationally and continued the successful online Web Forums for victim services providers, presenting 13 forums with 17 guest hosts. Additionally, the new online OVC National Calendar of Crime Victim Assistance-Related Events was created to help victims, victim service providers, allied professionals, and other interested individuals plan, promote, and locate events of interest to the victim service community in their local areas. OVC provided critical input about identity theft victims' rights and needs for a new Presidential Task Force on the Federal Response to Identity Theft. The interim report (PDF 125 kb) is available for download; the final report is due to be released in early spring 2007. In further response to this growing crime, OVC and the Federal Trade Commission made available to over 4,500 victim assistance programs nationwide a new identity theft awareness outreach kit, "Deter, Detect, Defend," to help educate victim advocates and community leaders about this crime and the prevention and intervention efforts available. These are just a few examples of OVC 's recent initiatives and accomplishments. For more information, visit OVC's Home and What's New pages. We look forward to working with you for continued success and wish you a Happy New Year! |
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