Victims'' Rights Enforcement Clinics Project

OVC's FY 2018 Initiative to Enhance Crime Victims’ Rights Enforcement and Victim Access to Legal Assistance solicitation supports the expansion of federal, state, local, and tribal efforts to enforce crime victims’ rights. The overarching goals of this initiative are to: (1) provide victims with crime victims’ rights enforcement and representation on collateral civil legal matters; (2) raise awareness about crime victims’ rights among prosecutors, criminal justice professionals, attorneys, local bar associations, law students, advocates, and other allied professionals working with victims, and (3) expand the body of professionals who will advocate for the enforcement of crime victims’ rights.

With this award, the National Crime Victim Law Institute (NCVLI) will increase victim access to no cost legal services by expanding the pool of professionals competent in helping victims' assert and seek enforcement of their rights and raise awareness of victims' rights enforcement nationally.

Specifically, NCVLI will: (1) subgrant to six victims’ rights enforcement clinics to provide no cost legal representation to victims’ regarding rights enforcement in criminal matters and collateral civil matters that are substantially related to their victimization; (2) provide training and technical assistance to aid victims’ rights enforcement clinic planning, development and ongoing service delivery; (3) enhance Project effectiveness and impact through knowledge sharing systems; and (4) increase national capacity for effective crime victims’ rights advocacy through legal technical assistance and training on victims' rights.

CA/NCF