Frequently Asked Questions

The Directory of Crime Victim Services is an Office for Victims of Crime resource that includes contact information for thousands of victim service providers. The Directory is designed to help service providers and individuals locate victim services in the United States and other countries.

The Tribal Resource Tool, a website funded by OVC, provides a searchable map of programs throughout the United States that offer services to American Indian/Alaskan Native crime victims. The Tribal Resource Tool includes services for—

• all ages of American Indian/Alaskan Native survivors and victims;
• all forms of victimization;
• all locations (on or off reservations, in areas that are remote, rural, urban, or suburban); and
• all needs of victims, including justice, safety, healing, and support.

If you applied for victim compensation through your state victim compensation program and have any questions, including information about the status of your claim, contact your state victim compensation program directly. A list of state victim compensation programs is available on our Help in Your State page.

Visit the OVC Help for Victims microsite to find additional information and referrals which may also assist you.

Ribbons for NCVRW are not available to order from OVC. Please visit the NCVRW section of our website to view the theme colors. These color codes will be helpful when ordering ribbons from an arts and crafts distributor.

If you are experiencing problems with a State Victim Notification Everyday (VINE) system, please contact the State organization responsible for the system. To locate the appropriate contact, visit the VINELink site and select your state from the map.

An extensive range of services and resources is available to help crime victims obtain justice and heal. Review What You Can Do If You Are a Victim of Crime, the Help for Victims section of our site, and the Victim Rights and Services section of our website for information.

Guidelines on how to write a victim impact statement are available in the OVC report, Promising Victim-Related Practices in Probation and Parole - A Compendium of Promising Practices. See Chapter 2: Impact, Notification, and Informational Services for information related to victim impact statements and Appendix B for a sample form. 

The Victim Information and Notification Everyday (VINE) system allows crime victims across the country to obtain timely and reliable information about criminal cases and the custody status of offenders 24 hours a day—via phone, email, text message (SMS) or TTY device. Please visit the VineLink website to register.

Federal victim notification information is available on the U.S. Department of Justice's Victim Notification System (VNS) website. For additional information, visit the Victim Notification section of our website.

If you have not received your Victim Identification Number (VIN) and/or Personal Identification Number (PIN) for the federal Victim Notification System (VNS), please contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, or the U.S. Attorney's Office handling your case.

For additional information, please visit the Victim Notification System website and the Department of Justice's Victim Notification Program website.