FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE??????????? ??????????? ??????????? ??????????? ??????????? ??????????? ??????????? OVC

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2000??????????? ??????????? ??????????? ??????????? ??????????? ??????????? 202/307-0703

 

OVER $91 MILLION IN JUSTICE DEPARTMENT FUNDS AVAILABLE

FOR CRIME VICTIMS

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. ? More than $91 million is available in FY 2001 -- almost $10 million more than last year -- to reimburse victims for their crime-related expenses, the Justice Department?s Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) announced today. All 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands received funding applications from OVC this month, and the federal victim compensation grant awards to the states will be made early next year.

?These funds allow states to provide support to victims who are most severely impacted financially as a result of crime,? said OVC Director Kathryn Turman.? ?The program is designed primarily for those who have little or no insurance.?

Compensation programs are similar to private insurance funds and reimburse victims of crime directly for expenses stemming from their victimization, such as medical treatment, counseling, funeral costs and lost wages.? Victims apply to the state agency designated by the

governor to administer the program. Each state has its own eligibility requirements.? Generally, claims must be filed within a certain time of when the crime occurred. Applicants must have reported the crime to police to encourage victims to participate in the criminal justice system.? ? To be eligible to participate in the federal grant program, states must have a victim compensation program.? Since the federal program is designed to supplement the states? programs, under the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 (VOCA), each state is eligible to receive a grant amount that is equal to 40 percent of what the state paid out to compensate victims in the previous year.

?This is an incentive program, which we hope encourages states to increase their payments to crime victims,? added Turman.

Monies for the victim compensation grants come from the Crime Victims Fund, which is administered by OVC and consists of criminal fines and penalties paid by federal criminal offenders ? not taxpayers.? Fines collected by U.S. Attorneys, the Bureau of Prisons and the U.S. Courts are deposited into the Fund in one year and are available for grant awards the following year.???

A list of the FY 2001 victim compensation grant amounts that each state is eligible to receive is attached.? More information about the victim compensation grant program and OVC is available on OVC?s Website at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc, or by calling the OVC Resource Center toll-free at 1-800/627-6872.? Individuals can call OVC at 202/307-5983 for information about their state victim compensation agency.

###

OVC01022

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

 

 


 

IDAHO

 

STATE

 

FY 1999 STATE VICTIM COMPENSATION PAYMENTS

 

VICTIM COMPENSATION ALLOCATIONS

 

ALABAMA

 

$4,743,903

 

???????????? $1,898,000

 

ALASKA

 

$1,020,781

 

$408,000

 

ARIZONA

 

$1,256,413

 

$503,000

 

ARKANSAS

 

$870,420

 

$348,000

 

CALIFORNIA

 

$49,065,514

 

??????????? $19,626,000

 

COLORADO

 

$6,530,059

 

????????????? $2,612,000

 

CONNECTICUT

 

$1,452,605

 

$581,000

 

DELAWARE

 

$445,492

 

$178,000

 

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

 

$1,148,009

 

$459,000

 

FLORIDA

 

$11,352,404

 

????????????? $4,541,000

 

GEORGIA

 

$3,519,864

 

????????????? $1,408,000

 

HAWAII

 

$1,141,997

 

$457,000

 

 

$1,116,508

 

$447,000

 

 

ILLINOIS

 

$24,272,656

 

????????????? $9,709,000

 

INDIANA

 

$2,614,976

 

????????????? $1,046,000

 

IOWA

 

$2,327,546

 

$931,000

 

KANSAS

 

$2,685,467

 

????????????? $1,074,000

 

KENTUCKY

 

$668,737

 

$267,000

 

LOUISIANA

 

$972,833

 

$389,000

 

MAINE

 

$217,836

 

$87,000

 

MARYLAND

 

$3,585,609

 

???????????? $1,434,000

 

MASSACHUSETTS

 

$2,228,933

 

$892,000

 

MICHIGAN

 

$1,488,900

 

$596,000

 

MINNESOTA

 

$1,470,986

 

$588,000

 

MISSISSIPPI

 

$1,009,129

 

$404,000

 

MISSOURI

 

$3,293,214

 

???????????? $1,317,000

 

MONTANA

 

$562,279

 

$225,000

 

NEBRASKA

 

$254,481

 

$102,000

 

NEVADA

 

$2,177,853

 

$871,000

 

NEW HAMPSHIRE

 

$69,840

 

$28,000

 

NEW JERSEY

 

$4,483,098

 

???????????? $1,793,000

 

NEW MEXICO

 

$921,246

 

$368,000

 

NEW YORK

 

$13,646,778

 

????????????? $5,459,000

 

NORTH CAROLINA

 

$2,744,190

 

????????????? $1,098,000

 

NORTH DAKOTA

 

$291,845

 

$117,000

 

OHIO

 

$8,506,853

 

???????????? $3,403,000

 

OKLAHOMA

 

$1,889,866

 

$756,000

 

OREGON

 

$1,982,239

 

$793,000

 

PENNSYLVANIA

 

$3,478,479

 

????????????? $1,391,000

 

RHODE ISLAND

 

$3,353,535

 

????????????? $1,341,000

 

SOUTH CAROLINA

 

$5,248,591

 

????????????? $2,099,000

 

SOUTH DAKOTA

 

$305,036

 

$122,000

 

TENNESSEE

 

$3,822,184

 

????????????? $1,529,000

 

TEXAS

 

$27,105,231

 

??????????? $10,842,000

 

UTAH

 

$2,783,225

 

????????????? $1,113,000

 

VERMONT

 

$336,259

 

$135,000

 

VIRGINIA

 

$1,823,010

 

$729,000

 

WASHINGTON

 

$8,329,694

 

????????????? $3,332,000

 

WEST VIRGINIA

 

$832,640

 

$333,000

 

WISCONSIN

 

$1,615,836

 

$646,000

 

WYOMING

 

$254,072

 

$102,000

 

GUAM

 

$7,765

 

??????????????????? $3,000

 

PUERTO RICO

 

$15,075

 

??????????????????? $6,000

 

VIRGIN ISLANDS

 

$182,902

 

????????????????? $73,000

 

TOTAL

 

$227,524,893

 

?????????? $91,009,000