Communities Nationwide Recognize National Crime Victims' Rights Week

The Office for Victims of Crime Awarded $377,000 for Commemorative Events

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Apr 18, 2016, 12:44 ET

WASHINGTON, April 18, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Department of Justice's Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) provided more than $377,000 to promote local community awareness of crime victims' rights and services during the National Crime Victims' Rights Week (NCVRW), April 10-16, 2016. The NCVRW is an annual observance first designated by President Ronald Reagan in 1981 which seeks to increase public awareness about the rights and services available to people who have been victimized by crime.

"Now, more than ever, it is critical that communities come together to identify and meet the needs of victims of all types of crimes. That's why this year's National Crime Victims' Rights Week theme, "Serving Victims. Building Trust. Restoring Hope." is so appropriate. Expanding public awareness of the needs of crime victims and the resources available to help meet those needs is just the first step and we hope that everyone continues to build trust within our communities in order to restore hope for crime victims," said OVC Director Joye E. Frost.

Since 2004, OVC's NCVRW Community Awareness Project grant program has provided financial and technical assistance to more than 817 community projects that promote innovative approaches to victim outreach and public education about victims' rights and services during National Crime Victims' Rights Week. The National Association of VOCA Assistance Administrators, a nonprofit organization, administers the funding. OVC selected 82 projects for 2016 from 194 national applications.

OVC funds NCVRW community awareness projects through the Crime Victims Fund, which is supported through fines collected from offenders convicted of federal crimes, not from taxpayer dollars. OVC also hosts an annual award ceremony during NCWRW recognizing individuals and organizations for their contributions to victim services. Descriptive narratives and videos of these ceremonies are available at the Office for Victims of Crime's Gallery: https://ovcncvrw.ncjrs.gov/Awards/AwardGallery/gallerysearch.html.

For information about national efforts to promote National Crime Victims' Rights Week, please visit the Office for Victims of Crime website at http://www.ovc.gov. A list of the 2016 NCVRW events is posted at http://ovc.ncjrs.gov/ovccalendar.

OJP, headed by Assistant Attorney General Karol V. Mason, provides federal leadership in developing the nation's capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice and assist victims. OJP has six components: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; the Office for Victims of Crime and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering and Tracking. More information about OJP can be found at www.ojp.gov.

SOURCE Office for Victims of Crime (OVC)