Publications and Training Materials

OVC Report to the Nation 2007: Rebuilding Lives, Restoring Hope (October 2008)
This biennial OVC report (NCJ 217686) outlines the activities and accomplishments of the Office for Victims of Crime during Fiscal Years 2005 and 2006. Each section summarizes victims’ needs in that area and relates how funding from OVC makes a crucial difference in the lives of crime victims. Topics include the Crime Victims Fund—a powerful resource for supporting services to victims; meeting the needs of priority victims; victim funding in Indian Country, funding and assistance for victims of international trafficking, terrorism and mass violence, identity theft, and domestic violence. The companion OVC Focus On Series provides an indepth look at specific grantee initiatives.

International Terrorism Victim Expense Reimbursement Program Report to Congress (April 2008) (PDF 669 kb)
This report (NCJ 222307) outlines the activities and accomplishments of OVC’s International Terrorism Victims Expense Reimbursement Program (ITVERP) from October 2006 through May 2007. The report includes a background of the program, authorizing legislation, and funding structure; an explanation of the procedures for filing and processing applications for reimbursement; a description of the policies, procedures, materials, and tools instituted to promote public awareness about the program; a statistical analysis of applications received and victims assisted; and future program needs and suggested improvements.

Promising Practices for Serving Crime Victims With Disabilities Bulletin and Toolkit (October 2008)
This updated bulletin (NCJ 223965) provides a snapshot of the scope and dynamics of an OVC-funded demonstration project undertaken by SafePlace to improve the local response of criminal justice personnel and victim service providers to people with disabilities. The companion toolkit (NCJ 223966) provides more indepth detail on the strategies and activities of each subgrantee, and includes such useful tools as sample needs assessments, sample forensic protocols, and lessons learned vignettes.

Two new publications underscore the unique challenges in helping people victimized by offenders with a mental illness and their role in mental health courts.

Responding to People Who Have Been Victimized by Individuals with Mental Illnesses (PDF 540 kb; September 2008). “Not guilty by reason of insanity” may pose challenges to implementing and enforcing crime victims’ rights. This issue brief reports on these and other barriers, current policies and practices, and the action items that policymakers, advocates, mental health professional and others can take to protect the rights and safety of these crime victims. A companion Guide explores the possible responses to address the adaptations to crime victims’ policies in Mental Health Courts that are contributing factors limiting victims’ rights. See A Guide to the Role of Crime Victims in Mental Health Courts (PDF 635 kb; September 2008).

The Council of State Governments Justice Center wrote these two guides with a grant from the Office for Victims of Crime and is making them available off their Consensus Project on Criminal Justice and Mental Health Web site. A special area offers the relevant sections of the Consensus Project Report for victims and victim advocates.

Grants and Funding

Postsecondary Education: Integrating Crime Victims’ Issues Into University and College Curricula—One cooperative agreement of $300,000 will be awarded to enhance university and college curricula by integrating broad victimization issues and responses to crime victims in multidisciplinary education models and faculty development. Apply by December 18, 2008.

Web Forum Transcripts Now Available

Generate your own transcript of these high-interest topics in the crime victims' field with the click of a button. Find out what questions and answers were shared in previous OVC Web Forum discussions:

• Responding to Sexual Violence on Campus—held September 2008.
• Assisting child victims of commercial sexual exploitation—held September 2008.
• Delivering Victim-Sensitive Death Notifications—held August 2008.
• Knowledge and skills taught at the National Victim Assistance Academy (NVAA)—held August 2008.

For information about updates to the Web Forum and upcoming Guest Host sessions, subscribe to the Web Forum E-Alert Listserv.

The Office for Victims of Crime is a component of
the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.