About OVC

Welcome to the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), one of six Program Offices within the Office of Justice Programs at the U.S. Department of Justice.

Led by Director Kristina Rose, OVC is committed to enhancing the Nation’s capacity to assist crime victims and to providing leadership in changing attitudes, policies, and practices to promote justice and healing for all victims of crime.

Created in 1983 to implement recommendations from the President’s Task Force on Victims of Crime, OVC was authorized in 1988 through an amendment to the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) of 1984 to administer the Crime Victims Fund (the Fund). 

Through OVC, the Fund supports a broad array of programs and services that focus on helping victims in the immediate aftermath of crime and continuing to support them as they rebuild their lives. Millions of dollars are invested annually in victim compensation and assistance in every U.S. state and territory, as well as for training, technical assistance, and other capacity-building programs designed to enhance service providers’ ability to support victims of crime in communities across the Nation.

More details about OVC’s mission and services are available in the What Is OVC Fact Sheet and the 2023 OVC Report to the Nation: Fiscal Years 2021-2022 Helping Victims Find Their Justice.

OVC Organization Chart