Victim Rights

Dear Colleague,

Thank you for joining us this week as we commemorate National Crime Victims' Rights Week (NCVRW) and spread awareness of victims' rights, protections, and services.

I'm pleased to announce that the National Crime Victims' Service Awards Ceremony will be Friday, October 2, 2020. During the ceremony, OVC will present awards recognizing individuals and organizations from across the nation for their outstanding service on...

Dear Colleague,

Each April, we pause to celebrate the many advances in crime victim support in our nation: victim engagement in the criminal justice system, increasing availability of services, and recognition of rights for all victims and survivors. We also seek to ensure justice for those victims whose voices have yet to be heard.

At the end of March, I was sworn in as the...

Good afternoon! Thank you to the wonderful people at NOVA who worked hard to make today's webinar happen. And a special thanks to Claire Selib for offering me the opportunity to introduce myself to the NOVA community.

I was appointed the Director of OVC in late March, in the midst of the COVID spread, so this has been an unusual time to join OVC. But...

Good morning! Thank you, Attorney General Yost, and all the staff in your office who worked hard to make today's webinar happen. I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to introduce myself and share a bit about the Office for Victims of Crime.

As previously mentioned, I was appointed the Director of OVC, a component of the Office of Justice Programs at the Department of Justice, in...

The 2020 National Crime Victims' Rights Week (NCVRW) color palette, customizable Theme Poster, and Theme Poster source art are now available online.

• Theme Colors: dark blue, dark green, with an optional light green. View the 2020 NCVRW Color Palette (PDF 487 kb).
• Theme Poster: Download a customizable copy of the 2020 NCVRW Theme Poster (PDF 204 kb) and the 2020 NCVRW Theme Poster Source...

OVC recently announced the release of the new Understanding Human Trafficking training at the Human Trafficking Grantee Meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

OVC invites victim service providers, allied professionals, and interested members of the general public to register for this new training, a series of five interactive online modules that offer foundational learning on trauma-informed and victim-centered approaches to human trafficking.

The Understanding Human Trafficking...

Every April, OVC leads the nation in its observance of National Crime Victims' Rights Week (NCVRW). This year's theme—Seek Justice | Ensure Victims' Rights | Inspire Hope—will guide communities as they promote victims' rights and services from April 19–25.

Use these 2020 NCVRW resources to help plan your events and raise awareness:

• Theme Artwork
• Customizable Theme Poster
• Web Artwork
• Sample Proclamation

Download 2020...

The 2020 National Crime Victims' Rights Week (NCVRW) Resource Guide is now available online. This year, NCVRW will be commemorated April 19–25.

The 2020 NCVRW Resource Guide provides a wealth of materials, in both English and Spanish, to educate the public about victims' rights, protections, and services during NCVRW and throughout the year. The online guide includes—

• guidance on developing your campaign,
• tips and tools...

National Crime Victims' Rights Week is April 19–25, 2020

The 2020 National Crime Victims' Rights Week theme—Seek Justice | Ensure Victims' Rights | Inspire Hope—commemorates the individuals and groups whose advocacy has propelled the victims' rights movement forward for the past half century, inspiring in victims and their loved ones a feeling of hope for progress, justice, and healing.

The 2020 National Crime...

OVC anticipates that it will upload the final VOCA formula victim assistance rule during the first week of July. It will become effective 30 days after publication in the Federal Register. In the interim, OVC is sending this communication to VOCA Administrators to again clarify what is allowable under the current guidelines for transitional housing and legal assistance.

Regarding legal assistance, victim assistance programs can...