The following information resources may offer victim assistance information, research findings, educational materials, or strategies for program and policy development specific to this topic. A general listing of all OVC publications is also available.

Bitter Earth: Child Sexual Abuse in Indian Country (September 1999)
This OVC discussion guide (NCJ 179105) is an educational tool to increase the awareness of child sexual abuse in Indian Country among community members and non-Indian service providers. It provides a basis for discussion of this problem among members of tribal and American Indian organizations, tribal court and law enforcement personnel, victim advocates, child welfare and human services professionals, and community organizations. The guide accompanies the Bitter Earth: Child Sexual Abuse in Indian Country video (NCJ 144998).

Breaking the Cycle of Violence: Recommendations to Improve the Criminal Justice Response to Child Victims and Witnesses (June 1999)
This OVC monograph (NCJ 176983) describes the best practices and programs that focus on the most effective response to child victims and child witnesses by all those who work in our criminal justice system.
ASCII (79 kb) or PDF (1.35 mb)

Child Abuse Victimization and What You Should Know About Child Abuse: OVC Help Series Brochures (March 2002)
The OVC Help Series (BC 000669) is a set of 10 brochures that address eight categories of crime victimization—homicide, sexual assault, stalking, drunk driving, domestic violence, robbery, assault, and child abuse. Each brochure includes an overview of general crime facts, a description of what victims may experience, and suggestions for how to seek help. The brochures are intended to supplement the information victim service providers can offer and to give victims a resource they can easily refer to in a crisis. Also available in other languages.

Child Physical and Sexual Abuse: Guidelines for Treatment (Revised Report: April 2004)
Developed by the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center at the Medical University of South Carolina and the Center for Sexual Assault and Traumatic Stress at the Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington, with funding by OVC, these new guidelines recommend specific mental health treatment protocols—based on sound theory and clinical-anecdotal literature—to improve the treatment of child physical and sexual abuse. This document is available electronically from the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center Web site. PDF (430 kb)

Child Sexual Exploitation: Improving Investigations and Protecting Victims—A Blueprint for Action (January 1995)
This OVC report (NCJ 153527) provides guidelines for collaboration among federal, state, and local agencies involved in the investigation and prosecution of child pornography and prostitution cases and in the provision of services to young victims of these crimes. Abstract and ordering information, or ASCII (114 kb)

Child Victims, New Directions from the Field: Victims' Rights and Services for the 21st Century (August 1998)
This OVC bulletin (NCJ 172827) is a reprint of a chapter in New Directions and deals specifically with promising practices and recommendations related to child victims. An executive summary and 17 other Bulletins complete the set.

Child Victimization, National Victim Assistance Academy 2002
The NVAA text emphasizes foundations in victimology and victims' rights and services, as well as new developments in the field of victim assistance, and contains a chapter on child victimization.

Child Victimizers: Violent Offenders and Their Victims (March 1996)
This report (NCJ 153258) provides an analysis of the most serious types of child abuse and child victimization, in which the child was murdered or the offender was incarcerated. Jointly published by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the report is based on data from a nationally representative sample of state inmates in 1991 and from homicide statistics from law enforcement agencies. An Executive Summary (NCJ 158625) is also available in ASCII (6 kb) and PDF (50 kb)

Children at Clandestine Methamphetamine Labs: Helping Meth's Youngest Victims (June 2003)
This bulletin (NCJ 197590) describes the health and safety risks faced by children who live at or visit clandestine methamphetamine labs. Measures are suggested to respond to children's mental and physical health issues when law enforcement officers seize meth labs. The experiences of several states that use multidisciplinary teams are offered as examples of promising interventions and the importance of collaboration among federal, state, and local agencies to ensure the care and protection of these children is emphasized.

Children Exposed to Violence: Criminal Justice Resources (June 1999)
This OVC bulletin (NCJ 176984) is a companion piece to the OVC monograph "Breaking the Cycle of Violence: Recommendations to Improve the Criminal Justice System Response to Child Victims and Witnesses" (NCJ 176983). It provides information about the resources, tools, and services available to improve our individual and collective response to children who face crime and violence in their lives.
ASCII (64 kb) or PDF (105 kb)

Children’s Justice Act Partnerships for Indian Communities (June 2003)
This fact sheet (FS 000303) describes an OVC grant program that provides funds and technical assistance to improve the capacity of existing tribal systems to handle serious child abuse cases, particularly cases of sexual abuse.

Children's Justice Act Partnerships for Indian Communities - Addendum Synopsis of the CJA Programs (March 1998)
CJA grant programs are profiled in this OVC fact sheet (FS 000205). Background information on these programs, along with their goals, funding, and eligibility criteria are also available (see FS 000206).

The Cycle of Violence Revisited (February 1996)
This NIJ Research Preview (NCJ 184206) describes findings in a series of ongoing studies of the potential "cycle of violence" for young victims of abuse and neglect. Children identified in court cases as victims of physical and sexual abuse and neglect were tracked over time to examine risk factors, criminal justice interventions, and arrest rates as they grew into adulthood.
ASCII (6 kb) or PDF (50 kb)

First Response to Victims of Crime (December 2001)
This OVC handbook for law enforcement officers (NCJ 189631) describes how to approach and help different types of crime victims. It is designed as a field guide for personnel who respond first to crime victims and includes contacts for assistance. Also available in other languages.

Funding Court Appointed Special Advocate Programs (Last updated December 2002)
This fact sheet (FS 000208) discusses the role of Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding and how CASA programs must meet certain eligibility criteria for VOCA funding. Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) programs may use VOCA funds to support services to child victims of neglect and/or abandonment. Originally published July/August 1998.

Guidelines on Justice for Child Victims and Witnesses of Crime (January 2003)
This document provides guidelines for victim service professionals, government and public agencies, international organizations, and nongovernmental organizations to ensure the rights of child victims and witnesses of crime are respected throughout the justice process and that children are not further victimized during this process. Produced by the International Bureau for Children's Rights (IBCR), this thematic report is available online in English, French, and Spanish. Multilingual PDF (169 kb)

Helping to Prevent Child Abuse—and Future Criminal Consequences: Hawaii Healthy Start (October 1995)
This NIJ Program Focus report (NCJ 156216) describes the Hawaii Healthy Start program, which uses home visitors from the community to provide services to at-risk families. Program goals are to reduce family stress and improve family functioning, improve parenting skills, enhance child health and development, and prevent abuse and neglect.
ASCII (49 kb) and PDF (150 kb)

I'm Going to Federal Court with Mark & Julie (1997)
This OVC activity book (PDF only) includes pages to color, games, puzzles, and information to teach child witnesses about the court experience they face. The book is a companion piece to the video Inside Federal Court (September 1995; NCJ 157156), which also instructs children and their families about the court process to build confidence and reduce anxiety about testifying.
PDF (10.35 mb)

In the Spotlight: Family Violence (July 2003)
The bibliography from NCJRS lists publications from various government agencies and national organizations on child physical and sexual abuse, child neglect and maltreatment, intimate partner violence, and elder abuse. This Web-based resource also covers legislation, programs, technical assistance, and grants and funding resources.

Initiatives To Combat Child Abuse (August 1998)
This fact sheet describes OVC’s financial and collaborative efforts to target family violence in Indian Country are discussed in this OVC fact sheet (FS 000212), including joint efforts with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and other federal agencies.

Resource Guidelines: Improving Court Practice in Child Abuse & Neglect Cases (1995)
These guidelines aim to set forth the essential elements of properly conducted family court proceedings in cases involved child abuse and neglect by describing family court functions, outlining the efficient maintenance of court calendars, explaining court staffing and organizational issues, and clarifying associated costs with these procedures. The 170-page document is published by the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, Reno, Nevada, with funding from OJJDP.
PDF (800 kb)

Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Programs: Improving the Community Response to Sexual Assault Victims (April 2001)
This OVC bulletin (NCJ 186366) provides an overview of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) programs and their contributions to improving community response to sexual assault victims, identifies promising practices in such programs, and provides practical guidelines for establishing a SANE program.
HTML, ASCII (86 kb), or PDF (2 mb)

Understanding DNA Evidence: A Guide for Victim Service Providers
This OVC bulletin (NCJ 185690) and brochure (BC 000657) offer victim service providers an understanding of how DNA testing may be used in victims' cases, the process and procedures used, and the potential outcomes from the test.
Bulletin (April 2001): HTML, ASCII (14 kb), or PDF (573 kb)
Brochure (May 2001): ASCII (14 kb) or PDF (360 kb)

Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse—Later Criminal Consequences (March 1995)
This NIJ Research in Brief (NCJ 151525), the second in a series on the cycle of violence, examines the criminal consequences in adulthood of a particular type of childhood victimization: sexual abuse. It traces the same individuals studied initially, using official records of arrest and juvenile detention, to determine whether sexual abuse in childhood makes people more likely to become involved in delinquent and criminal behavior later in life.
ASCII (33 kb) and PDF (290 kb)

When the Victim Is a Child, Second Edition
This NIJ Issues and Practices report (NCJ 136080) reviews the investigation and prosecution of child sexual abuse, including the consequences of child sexual abuse, the capabilities of children as witnesses, and the impact of the court process on child victims. Intended primarily for judges, this publication will also prove useful to a range of professionals who work with child victims in the pursuit of justice.

Working with Victims of Crime with Disabilities (September 1998)
This bulletin (NCJ 172838) presents recommendations on improving services to crime victims with disabilities, based on discussion at an OVC-funded 2-day symposium of victim assistance providers and related professionals. The bulletin identifies issues, service gaps, and barriers to access; recommends needed changes; and spotlights successful programs and promising practices that reach and serve crime victims with disabling conditions.
HTML, ASCII (90 kb), or PDF (163 kb)