LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Daniel G. Bogden, United States Attorney for Nevada, is pleased to announce that the U.S. Department of Justice recently announced grant awards of over $22 million to the State of Nevada to provide financial assistance and services to federal and state victims of crime during federal fiscal year 2016.
On Sept. 8, the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services was awarded $19,981,431 in victim assistance funds, and on Aug. 22, the Nevada Department of Administration was awarded $2,049,000 in victim compensation funds. The awards were made from the Crime Victims Fund, which is supported primarily by fines paid by federal criminal offenders - not taxpayers. The fines are collected by United States Attorney’s Offices, the United States Courts, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and over 90 percent of Fund deposits are distributed annually by the Department of Justice to states and territories to support state victim compensation and victim assistance programs. Any remaining funds are used for training and technical assistance, national demonstration projects and to improve handling of child abuse cases in Indian communities. In addition, these funds support victim witness coordinator and advocate positions for U.S. Attorney Offices, victim specialist positions in the FBI and a federal victim notification system.
“This is the highest amount of funding ever provided to the State of Nevada to directly help victims of crimes and programs that support them," said U.S. Attorney Bogden. “The United States Attorney’s Office is pleased to support both the collection efforts for the Crime Victims Fund, which provides these program dollars, and the allocation of these resources to help Nevada’s crime victims."
The crime victim assistance funds will be competitively awarded by the State of Nevada to local community-based organizations that provide direct services to crime victims. Funding is provided to domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers, child abuse victims’ programs and other initiatives that provide counseling, advocacy or emergency transportation to victims. Nevada can also use these funds for sexual assault programs or victim service units in law enforcement agencies, prosecutors’ offices and social service agencies.
The crime victim compensation funds work similarly to private insurance, providing reimbursement to, or on behalf of, crime victims for expenses such as medical costs, mental health counseling, funeral and burial costs, and lost wages, as a result of being a crime victim.
More information on Nevada’s victim compensation and victim assistance efforts is available from the State of Nevada Department of Administration Victims of Crimes Program at (702) 486-2740 in southern Nevada or (775) 688-2900 in northern Nevada, or the State of Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, at (775) 684-7946. Questions may also be directed to OJP’s Office of Communications at (202) 307-0703.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
