FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | OVC | THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 2000 | 202/616-3534 |
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AWARDS FUNDS TO STATES TO ASSIST CRIME VICTIMS
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Justice Department's Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) announced today that a total of $451.5 million in FY 2000 funds has been awarded to crime victim assistance and victim compensation programs in all 50 states and six territories. Money for these annual awards comes from the Crime Victims Fund, which is supported solely by fines paid by federal criminal offenders -- not taxpayers.
"Crime victims from across the nation benefit from these programs in real terms -- through direct financial and personal assistance when they most need it," said Kathryn Turman, OVC's Director. "Over the past 15 years, the Crime Victims Fund has made a tremendous impact on the services that states are able to provide."
Fines collected in one year by United States Attorneys, the U.S. Courts and Bureau of Prisons are deposited into the Fund and are available for grant awards the following year.
Funds available for FY 1999 totaled $500 million. Over 90 percent of Fund deposits are distributed annually to states and territories to support state victim compensation and victim assistance programs. Remaining funds are used for training and technical assistance and national demonstration projects.
State compensation programs receive annual grants equal to 40 percent of the state's total payout to crime victims in the previous year. Compensation programs work similarly to private insurance, providing reimbursement to, or on behalf of, crime victims for crime-related expenses such as medical costs, mental health counseling, funeral and burial costs, and lost wages. State victim assistance programs provide funds to community agencies that assist crime victims through crisis intervention, counseling, emergency shelter and criminal justice advocacy.
OVC is the federal government's chief advocate for crime victims and their families. OVC provides funding for approximately 4,100 victim assistance programs serving 2.5 million crime victims each year and state victim compensation programs that serve an additional 200,000 victims.
A list of the FY 2000 victim compensation and victim assistance grant awards each state received is attached. More information about the Crime Victims Fund and OVC is available on OVC's Web site at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/ or the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) Web site at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov. Or, call the Office for Victims of Crime Resource Center toll-free at
1-800/627-6872. Individuals can call OVC at 202/307-5983 for information about their state victim compensation and victim assistance agencies.
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OVC00148
After hours contact: Linda Mansour on 202/616-3534
OVC STATE VICTIM COMPENSATION AND VICTIM ASSISTANCE GRANTS
FY 2000
STATE |
VICTIM COMPENSATION GRANT AWARDS |
VICTIM ASSISTANCE GRANT AWARDS |
ALABAMA |
$842,000 |
$5,939,000 |
ALASKA |
$226,000 |
$1,267,000 |
ARIZONA |
$357,000 |
$6,335,000 |
ARKANSAS |
$849,000 |
$3,673,000 |
CALIFORNIA | $19,161,000 | $41,329,000 |
COLORADO | $2,781,000 |
$5,463,000 |
CONNECTICUT |
$573,000 |
$4,592,000 |
DELAWARE |
$367,000 |
$1,429,000 |
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA |
$590,000 |
$1,154,000 |
FLORIDA | $4,544,000 | $19,143,000 |
GEORGIA |
$612,000 |
$10,052,000 |
HAWAII |
$270,000 |
$1,991,000 |
IDAHO |
$573,000 |
$2,036,000 |
ILLINOIS | $4,919,000 | $15,555,000 |
INDIANA | $1,458,000 |
$7,873,000 |
IOWA |
$950,000 |
$4,078,000 |
KANSAS |
$911,000 |
$3,786,000 |
KENTUCKY |
$361,000 |
$5,420,000 |
LOUISIANA |
$314,000 |
$5,961,000 |
MAINE | $85,000 |
$2,055,000 |
MARYLAND | $1,461,000 |
$6,918,000 |
MASSACHUSETTS |
$959,000 |
$8,183,000 |
MICHIGAN |
$311,000 |
$12,770,000 |
MINNESOTA |
$738,000 |
$6,406,000 |
MISSISSIPPI |
$420,000 |
$3,940,000 |
MISSOURI | $1,473,000 |
$7,297,000 |
MONTANA |
$152,000 |
$1,600,000 |
NEBRASKA |
$114,000 |
$2,578,000 |
NEVADA |
$847,000 |
$2,683,000 |
NEW HAMPSHIRE | $66,000 |
$1,981,000 |
NEW JERSEY | $1,686,000 | $10,643,000 |
NEW MEXICO |
$357,000 |
$2,671,000 |
NEW YORK | $4,187,000 | $23,217,000 |
NORTH CAROLINA | $1,549,000 |
$9,932,000 |
NORTH DAKOTA | $59,000 |
$1,298,000 |
OHIO | $3,394,000 | $14,510,000 |
OKLAHOMA |
$693,000 |
$4,683,000 |
OREGON |
$623,000 |
$4,602,000 |
PENNSYLVANIA | $1,317,000 | $15,500,000 |
RHODE ISLAND |
$615,000 |
$1,736,000 |
SOUTH CAROLINA | $2,410,000 |
$5,294,000 |
SOUTH DAKOTA |
$138,000 |
$1,423,000 |
TENNESSEE | $1,959,000 |
$7,288,000 |
TEXAS | $9,055,000 | $25,197,000 |
UTAH | $1,057,000 |
$3,124,000 |
VERMONT |
$142,000 |
$1,239,000 |
VIRGINIA |
$619,000 |
$8,988,000 |
WASHINGTON | $2,920,000 |
$7,611,000 |
WEST VIRGINIA |
$523,000 |
$2,764,000 |
WISCONSIN |
$569,000 |
$7,029,000 |
WYOMING |
$173,000 |
$1,101,000 |
AMERICAN SAMOA |
Doesn't have victim compensation program |
$258,000 |
GUAM | $6,000 |
$366,000 |
NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS |
Doesn't have victim compensation program |
$254,000 |
PUERTO RICO |
Doesn't have victim compensation program |
$5,325,000 |
U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS | $39,000 |
$627,000 |
TOTAL | $81,374,000 | $370,167,000 |