MAN: My mother and my brother were murdered in front of me. I was 10.
WOMAN: My daughter-in-law looked through the glass and her eyes showed horror and she said, "Nana, what’s happened to you?" And I said, "I’ve been raped, I’ve been raped."
MAN: I met a guy at a church and he wanted to be my friend. And instead he assaulted me, and I felt very scared.
MAN: There is, behind every case that involves a crime of violence, a victim, a very real human being who has needs, and needs to be spoken to, and needs to have the system explained to them.
WOMAN: The Office for Victims of Crime was created in 1984 to enhance victims’ rights and services for all victims across the United States.
WOMAN: The Office for Victims of Crime is a federal agency created by Congress that is a part of the Department of Justice.
WOMAN: It is the government funding agency for Crime Victims Compensation Programs and Victim Assistance Programs.
WOMAN: The Crime Victims Fund is distributed in a number of ways by the Office for Victims of Crime. Part of it goes to support other federal agencies who are providing services for victims; part of it goes to support model programs and practices. But the majority of the funding goes to the states.
WOMAN: The Office for Victims of Crime is not the provider of services, but they fund states, and then states can subgrant the money out to direct service providers. Each jurisdiction, each state, is going to be different, and by distributing the money to the states, they determine where the greatest need is and what the need is.
WOMAN: Victim service providers need very specialized programs to reach hard-to-find victims who are not always assured that they are going to find welcoming and accessible services when they do reach out for help.
WOMAN: The Office for Victims of Crime is very committed to the professionalization of the crime victim services field.
WOMAN: We do that through developing new programs, through training and technical assistance, and disseminating information about model programs that benefit victims of crime.
MAN: There’s an intentional effort to get everyone together so we know how to share resources, we know how to work together.
WOMAN: The Office for Victims of Crime listens to the needs of state administrators for victims’ compensation and assistance, and then gives us the tools we need to provide assistance to victims of crime
