PRIORITY IN FOCUS
Federal Crime Victims' Rights & Services
“So long as I am Attorney General, this Department of Justice will do everything in its power to prevent and combat crime and to help victims overcome its effects…. The administration plans to make historic investments to combat violence and abuse.... I’m committed to this progress. I’m proud to count you all as partners in this work. And tonight – as we light our candles, bow our heads and share a moment of silence – let us reflect upon what we can, and what I know we will, accomplish together to further victims’ rights.” -- Attorney General Eric Holder, 2011 National Observance and Candlelight Ceremony
Op-Ed
The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the CVRA: Helping Crime Victims Reshape Their Lives
by Timothy J. HeaphyU.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia
According to the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics, an estimated 4.3 million violent crimes and 15.6 million property crimes were committed against U.S. residents age 12 or older in 2009. These crimes have a tremendous impact on victims. Crime not only deprives us of property and physical safety, it also shakes our sense of security and peace. Crime victimization has significant emotional, physical, and financial consequences for victims, families, friends, and communities, and the healing process from these effects often takes considerable time.
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Victims’ Rights
Crime Victims' Rights Act
In 1982, President Ronald Reagan created the President’s Task Force on Victims of Crime to address the needs of the millions of Americans and their families who are victimized by crime every year. Twenty years later, the landscape of victims' rights changed dramatically when President George W. Bush signed the Crime Victims' Rights Act (CVRA) into law on October 30, 2004. Crime Victims' Rights Ombudsman
The Department has established the Office of the Victims’ Rights Ombudsman to receive and investigate complaints filed by crime victims.
Services to Crime Victims
Victims’ Rights and Restitution Act
U.S. Attorneys’ offices in the Department of Justice are committed to ensuring federal crime victims are provided the opportunity to receive information and services as required under federal law and the Attorney General Guidelines for Victim and Witness Assistance. Crime victims’ services were introduced into early-1980s victims’ rights legislation; however, they were not actually put into law until 1990 with the passage of the Victims’ Rights and Restitution Act (VRRA), a section of which is set forth below. The VRRA and the Guidelines direct how, when, and in what manner U.S. Attorneys’ offices’ victim-witness personnel will assist crime victims throughout the prosecution of a federal case. Federal Crime Victim Assistance Fund
The Federal Crime Victim Assistance Fund (FCVAF) is available to U.S. Attorneys’ offices to assist federal crime victims with services of an immediate nature. Money to support the FCVAF comes from the Crime Victims’ Fund, which is comprised of criminal fines and assessments paid by criminal defendants.
New Attorney General Guidelines
Drug Endangered Children
Drug Endangered Children Task Force
Drug endangered children face a variety of health and safety risks as a consequence of their exposure to illegal drugs and those who use legal drugs for illicit purposes. These children are often neglected and abused, and may be in extreme physical danger when present during drug production and manufacturing, or when caregivers consume drugs in their presence.
Efforts for Drug Endangered Children in Wisconsin
by John VaudreuilU.S. Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Wisconsin received a grant from the Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) in 2007 to raise awareness and address the effects of methamphetamine on the citizens of Wisconsin. We eventually expanded our project to include an emphasis on Drug Endangered Children and other drugs affecting our communities.
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Useful Links
- National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children
- Office of National Drug Control Policy—Drug Endangered Children
- Promising Practices Toolkit—Working with Drug Endangered Children and Their Families
- Drug Endangered Children Task Force
Outreach in Indian Country
U.S. Attorneys’ Offices Reach Out in Indian Country
U.S. Attorneys’ Offices Reach Out in Indian CountryThe U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming held its Indian Country conference on September 7, 2011, dedicated solely to preventing violence against Native American Women. The theme, “Knowledge is Power,” provided valuable information on how to identify an abusive situation, how to recognize domestic violence and sexual assault, safety issues, where to turn for services, and when to report.
Facts & figures
Click thumbnail for expanded graphs
Returning Money to Victims
Restitution
Restitution in the simplest terms is compensation for a loss that is paid by a criminal to the victim of the crime.
Asset Forfeiture Achievements in U.S. Attorneys' Offices Nationwide
Stories of service to victims
Cambodian Freedom Fighters
Yasith Chhun was sentenced in the Central District of California in June 2010 to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for organizing and implementing a deadly plot to violently overthrow the Cambodian government.
The family of a victim of gun violence in the District of Columbia formed an organization—Touch of Hope—to help other victims and survivors. Unlocking Victims’ Stories by Protecting their Dignity and Privacy
As a health care fraud prosecutor, I have been repeatedly faced with the challenges of working with patients who were victims. When a crime is directly related to victims’ health, they are often ashamed and afraid of cooperating, worried that their identities and entire medical histories will be revealed not only to the investigative team, but in a public forum. Responding to Victim/ Witnesses during the trial of United States vs. Brian David Mitchell
A young girl was kidnapped from her bedroom in June 2002 by Brian David Mitchell, with the assistance of Wanda Barzee, and held against her will for nine months. During the years leading up to the trial, victim-witness assistance was a critical component of the prosecution team. Services in the Prosecution of the Commander of Liberia's Demon Forces
On October 30, 2008, a federal jury convicted the son of the former president of Liberia of torturing suspected opponents of his father’s government. The bold and brash defendant, Roy M. Belfast Jr., who was known in Liberia as “Chuckie,” commanded a military unit called the Demon Forces. United States v. Douglas Perlitz
Douglas Perlitz, a former Connecticut resident who founded a charitable organization and boarding school for homeless boys in Haiti, was investigated and prosecuted for having sexually abused at least 18 Haitian children in his care.
Outreach and Collaboration
How Do You Start an International Victims Service Program from Scratch?After emerging from decades of Communist rule as part of the former Yugoslavia, and after enduring years of ethnic warfare, Kosovo, the world’s newest democracy, is striving to develop a criminal justice system based upon the Rule of Law and which includes a systemic respect for the rights and needs of victims of crime. Protect our Children Conference
The founding principle of the Protect Our Children Conference is centered on the need for victim service providers, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and health care professionals to work collaboratively to serve the child victims of sexual exploitation. Crime Victims' Rights Week
Each year in April, the country observes National Crime Victims’ Right Week (NCVRW) by honoring crime victims, promoting their rights, and recognizing those who advocate on their behalf.
useful links
Office of the Victims’ Rights Ombudsman
National Crime Victim Law Institute
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
