Message From the Director
In 1982, President Ronald Reagan established the President's Task Force on Victims of Crime to assess the treatment of crime victims throughout the Nation. To prepare its report, Victims of Crime in America, the task force reviewed literature on crime victimization, interviewed victim service providers, and spoke with individuals and families throughout the Nation whose lives had been affected by criminal activity. The task force concluded,
"The innocent victims of crime have been overlooked, their pleas for justice have gone unheeded, and their wounds—personal, emotional, and financial—have gone unattended."
Based on this conclusion—and the report's many findings—the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) was formally established in 1988. Since then, the field of crime victim services has expanded and improved exponentially—as have the rights afforded to crime victims. However, despite these advances, much work remains to provide victims with the specific services and support that they need.
This report highlights OVC's many accomplishments during fiscal years 2017 and 2018, including victim compensation and victim assistance disbursements, which state and local agencies provide to victims each year. It also describes OVC's comprehensive efforts to support innovative programs, build capacity, reach more victims, and fund victimization research.
As OVC Director, I am proud of all that OVC has accomplished over the past two fiscal years, and our many ongoing programs. But we cannot rest on our laurels. True justice cannot be achieved until every victim receives the assistance that he or she needs—whether through restitution or crime victim compensation, safety planning, counseling, transitional housing, civil legal aid, a compassionate response from the criminal justice system, or simply their day in court. We must continue to strive to ensure that each and every victim around this country receives the support and services that they need and deserve.
Kristina Rose
Director
Office for Victims of Crime