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.

The Crime Victim's Right To Be Present (January 2002)
Third in the OVC Legal Series, this bulletin (NCJ 189187) provides an overview of state laws addressing the rights of victims to attend criminal justice proceedings, particularly trials, and how their presence might affect the rights of defendants.

Enforcement of Protective Orders (January 2002)
Fourth in the OVC Legal Series, this bulletin (NCJ 189190) provides an overview of state laws and issues related to the enforcement of protective orders.

Establishing Victim Services Within a Law Enforcement Agency: The Austin Experience (March 2001)
This bulletin (NCJ 185334) describes the benefits to both victims and law enforcement officials of incorporating victim assistance staff within law enforcement agencies. The document is a case study of the Austin, Texas, Police Department, recounting how the department established and funded its first full-time victim assistance coordinator position and how victim services successfully grew from a one-person operation to a four-unit Victim Services Division.

First Response to Victims of Crime (December 2001)
This 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.

First Response to Victims of Crime Who Have a Disability (October 2002)
This handbook for law enforcement officers (NCJ 195500) describes how to approach and help victims who have Alzheimer's Disease, mental illness, or mental retardation or who are blind, visually impaired, deaf, or hard of hearing. It is designed as a field guide for personnel who respond first to crime victims and includes contacts for assistance.

Learning About Victims of Crime: A Training Model for Victim Service Providers and Allied Professionals (September 2003)
Fifth in a series documenting the accomplishments of the Victim Services 2000 (VS2000) project, this OVC bulletin (NCJ 199934) summarizes initiatives at the Denver VS2000 site and how participants there approached cross training victim service providers and allied professionals in faith communities, law enforcement settings, and judicial and other legal settings.

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.

Victim Input Into Plea Agreements (November 2002)
Seventh in the OVC Legal Series, this bulletin (NCJ 189188) provides an overview of state laws addressing the rights of victims to be involved during plea negotiations in criminal cases.

Victim Services in Rural Law Enforcement (April 2009)
In the aftermath of crime, many victims in rural areas never receive the vital services necessary to begin recovery. Victim Services in Rural Law Enforcement (NCJ 226275) summarizes an OVC-sponsored project of the National Sheriffs’ Association and the Office of the Alabama Attorney General, which developed 17 models for establishing or enhancing rural victims’ assistance. This replication guide offers a blueprint for establishing local programs, outlining approaches, successes, and lessons learned.

Victims with Disabilities: Collaborative, Multidisciplinary First Response (March 2009)
This training DVD and guide (NCJ 223940) were developed under the guidance of a national advisory board to demonstrate effective techniques for first responders who have been called to the scene of a crime in which the victim has a disability. This educational multimedia package not only provides guidelines for interacting with adult and adolescent victims of crime who have communication and/or intellectual disabilities, but also helps law enforcement personnel gain a deeper understanding of the lives, personal attributes, and abilities of individuals with disabilities. (PDF, 870 kb)

What Do Victims Want? Effective Strategies to Achieve Justice for Victims of Crime (May 2000)
The International Association of Chiefs of Police’s resulting recommendations from the Summit on Victims of Crime held March 1999, are presented in this 42-page report (PDF file 262 kb). The strategies are designed meet victims’ needs and honor victims’ rights. Solutions to problems hindering service delivery and other topics are also discussed.