The U.S. Justice Department’s Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) presents this report on its activities during fiscal years (FY) 2017 and 2018.
Every year, OVC supports millions of crime victims in the healing of their victimizations and rebuilding of their lives. The core of their support is the Crime Victims Fund (the Fund), which is financed by fines, bond forfeitures, and penalties stemming from federal crimes, not from tax dollars. In FYs 2017 and 2018, Congress made available the largest amount of Fund deposits it has allowed since placing an annual cap on available funding in 2000. In FY 2017, the appropriation cap on the Fund was $2.573 million, the second largest amount in the Fund’s history. Then, in FY 2018, Congress monumentally increased the appropriations cap to $4.436 billion, a new record in funding available to support victim services. Through these high appropriation caps in FYs 2017 and 2018, OVC was able to increase the amount of funds it provided to states. In FY 2017, OVC awarded more than $1.846 billion to state victim assistance programs. In FY 2018, OVC significantly increased this amount to $5,328 billion, a record high. The increased amount of funds available for victim services is enabling OVC to provide more critical direct services to victims than ever before. The services - through subgrants to state agencies and local service providers – provide help for individuals, families, and communities recovering from the debilitating effects of crime.