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

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2001????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 202/307-0703

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCES STATES TO RECEIVE $360.9 MILLION?

TO HELP CRIME VICTIMS

Arizona First to Receive Funds

WASHINGTON, D.C.? ? The Justice Department?s Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) has begun awarding $360.9 million to state crime victim assistance programs.? OVC announced today that Arizona is the first state to receive its FY 2001 victim assistance grant award of $6.26 million.? The other 49 states, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories are expected to receive grants by the end of April.

Funds for these grants and other OVC programs are not appropriated.? The funding source is the Crime Victims Fund, which is administered by OVC and is comprised of criminal fines collected from convicted federal criminals.? Fines collected in one year by U.S. Attorneys, Bureau of Prisons and U.S. Court staff are deposited into the Fund and are available for grant awards in the following year.? Many of the fines collected come from large criminal fines levied against corporations.

State victim assistance programs provide funds to community agencies that assist crime victims through crisis intervention, criminal justice advocacy, counseling, emergency shelter and other services.? Each year, these funds support over 4,000 victim services agencies, such as domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers and child abuse programs.

In addition to funding state crime victim assistance programs, OVC awards annual victim compensation grants to states to reimburse crime victims for expenses directly related to crime. OVC also trains victim advocates and allied professionals and develops projects to enhance the delivery of victims? rights and services through grants awarded to state, local, tribal, and nonprofit organizations.? OVC also provides support to Native American tribes to improve the investigation and prosecution of child abuse cases in Indian country.

More information about OVC and its programs is available on OVC?s Web site at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc, or by calling the Office for Victims of Crime Resource Center toll-free at 1-800/627-6872.? ?????????????????????????

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OVC01061 - For more information contact: Linda Mansour on 202/616-3534