Office of Justice Programs Announces Over $4 Million to Support Crime Victims, Services

WASHINGTON, Sept. 17, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs today announced FY 2014 awards totaling $4.58 million to support projects that reach and serve more crime victims and address gaps in service capacity in the crime victims' field. 

Awards made under the competitive grant solicitation Vision 21: Using Technology to Expand National and International Access to Victim Services, administered through the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), will support innovative projects that use technology to provide direct assistance to victims, particularly those who have never been served or for whom services are not readily available, and for Americans living here and abroad.  Receiving the awards are: Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network; Identity Theft Resource Center; National Center for Victims of Crime; National Domestic Violence Hotline; National Network to End Domestic Violence; and Americans Overseas Domestic Violence Crisis Center.

Awards under the competitive grant solicitation Vision 21: Victim Services Mobile Applications will enhance public awareness, outreach, and education by developing distinct mobile applications to help victims navigate the criminal justice system and to connect users with victim-centered resources and services.  Award recipients are National Network to End Domestic Violence, National Indian Justice Center, and Family Service Association, Inc.

Developed by OVC, Vision 21 is a strategic framework to help victim service providers better understand who is affected by crime, how they are affected, how they seek help, and the reasons why some victims do and others do not report victimization.

"OVC launched the Vision 21 Initiative to reach more victims and help them heal," said Assistant Attorney General Karol V. Mason. "Most victims never see any type of assistance, and not all communities have a place where victims can go for support.  In many cases, victims don't even come to the attention of the authorities.  Almost half of violent crime victims never report to law enforcement.  For all the good work we've done collectively, we still have much more to do.  These grants are a major step forward towards meeting the enduring and emerging challenges confronting victim services."

OVC will award more than $12.5 million this year in grants to further the Vision 21 strategy.  Vision 21 grants also will be awarded to states to support victim legal assistance networks, technology development in the states, systems of care for children, and capacity building for three tribal recipients.

The Office of Justice Programs, 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. For more information about OJP, please visit: www.ojp.gov.

SOURCE Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs

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