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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEOVC
THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 2000202/616-3534

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AWARDS FUNDS TO STATES TO ASSIST CRIME VICTIMS

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Justice Department's Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) announced today that a total of $451.5 million in FY 2000 funds has been awarded to crime victim assistance and victim compensation programs in all 50 states and six territories. Money for these annual awards comes from the Crime Victims Fund, which is supported solely by fines paid by federal criminal offenders -- not taxpayers.

"Crime victims from across the nation benefit from these programs in real terms -- through direct financial and personal assistance when they most need it," said Kathryn Turman, OVC's Director. "Over the past 15 years, the Crime Victims Fund has made a tremendous impact on the services that states are able to provide."

Fines collected in one year by United States Attorneys, the U.S. Courts and Bureau of Prisons are deposited into the Fund and are available for grant awards the following year.

Funds available for FY 1999 totaled $500 million. Over 90 percent of Fund deposits are distributed annually to states and territories to support state victim compensation and victim assistance programs. Remaining funds are used for training and technical assistance and national demonstration projects.

State compensation programs receive annual grants equal to 40 percent of the state's total payout to crime victims in the previous year. Compensation programs work similarly to private insurance, providing reimbursement to, or on behalf of, crime victims for crime-related expenses such as medical costs, mental health counseling, funeral and burial costs, and lost wages. State victim assistance programs provide funds to community agencies that assist crime victims through crisis intervention, counseling, emergency shelter and criminal justice advocacy.

OVC is the federal government's chief advocate for crime victims and their families. OVC provides funding for approximately 4,100 victim assistance programs serving 2.5 million crime victims each year and state victim compensation programs that serve an additional 200,000 victims.

A list of the FY 2000 victim compensation and victim assistance grant awards each state received is attached. More information about the Crime Victims Fund and OVC is available on OVC's Web site at https://ojp.gov/ovc/ or the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) Web site at https://ojp.gov. Or, call the Office for Victims of Crime Resource Center toll-free at

1-800/627-6872. Individuals can call OVC at 202/307-5983 for information about their state victim compensation and victim assistance agencies.

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OVC00148

After hours contact: Linda Mansour on 202/616-3534

OVC STATE VICTIM COMPENSATION AND VICTIM ASSISTANCE GRANTS

FY 2000

STATE

VICTIM COMPENSATION GRANT AWARDS

VICTIM ASSISTANCE GRANT AWARDS

ALABAMA

$842,000

$5,939,000

ALASKA

$226,000

$1,267,000

ARIZONA

$357,000

$6,335,000

ARKANSAS

$849,000

$3,673,000

CALIFORNIA $19,161,000 $41,329,000
COLORADO $2,781,000

$5,463,000

CONNECTICUT

$573,000

$4,592,000

DELAWARE

$367,000

$1,429,000

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

$590,000

$1,154,000

FLORIDA $4,544,000 $19,143,000
GEORGIA

$612,000

$10,052,000
HAWAII

$270,000

$1,991,000

IDAHO

$573,000

$2,036,000

ILLINOIS $4,919,000 $15,555,000
INDIANA $1,458,000

$7,873,000

IOWA

$950,000

$4,078,000

KANSAS

$911,000

$3,786,000

KENTUCKY

$361,000

$5,420,000

LOUISIANA

$314,000

$5,961,000

MAINE $85,000

$2,055,000

MARYLAND $1,461,000

$6,918,000

MASSACHUSETTS

$959,000

$8,183,000

MICHIGAN

$311,000

$12,770,000
MINNESOTA

$738,000

$6,406,000

MISSISSIPPI

$420,000

$3,940,000

MISSOURI $1,473,000

$7,297,000

MONTANA

$152,000

$1,600,000

NEBRASKA

$114,000

$2,578,000

NEVADA

$847,000

$2,683,000

NEW HAMPSHIRE $66,000

$1,981,000

NEW JERSEY $1,686,000 $10,643,000
NEW MEXICO

$357,000

$2,671,000

NEW YORK $4,187,000 $23,217,000
NORTH CAROLINA $1,549,000

$9,932,000

NORTH DAKOTA $59,000

$1,298,000

OHIO $3,394,000 $14,510,000
OKLAHOMA

$693,000

$4,683,000

OREGON

$623,000

$4,602,000

PENNSYLVANIA $1,317,000 $15,500,000
RHODE ISLAND

$615,000

$1,736,000

SOUTH CAROLINA $2,410,000

$5,294,000

SOUTH DAKOTA

$138,000

$1,423,000

TENNESSEE $1,959,000

$7,288,000

TEXAS $9,055,000 $25,197,000
UTAH $1,057,000

$3,124,000

VERMONT

$142,000

$1,239,000

VIRGINIA

$619,000

$8,988,000

WASHINGTON $2,920,000

$7,611,000

WEST VIRGINIA

$523,000

$2,764,000

WISCONSIN

$569,000

$7,029,000

WYOMING

$173,000

$1,101,000

AMERICAN SAMOA

Doesn't have victim compensation program

$258,000

GUAM $6,000

$366,000

NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS

Doesn't have victim compensation program

$254,000

PUERTO RICO

Doesn't have victim compensation program

$5,325,000

U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS $39,000

$627,000

TOTAL $81,374,000 $370,167,000